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Published : 25 Jun 2025, 05:28 PM
Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has urged the citizens to cease the use of one-time plastic products.
He made the call while inaugurating a tree plantation drive at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre on Wednesday. Yunus highlighted the horrid environmental impact of plastic at the event as he planted a Sonalu tree as part of the inauguration of National Tree Plantation Drive and Tree Fair 2025.
The chief advisor said, "Today, the world is suffering from various crises, wars, widespread use of technology and its misuse, which have created various challenges for us. But many of us are unable to understand what that challenge is - it is the destructive side of nature. It is not nature's fault, it is our fault.”
“Those of us living here should keep pace with nature. But we move in the opposite direction. It’s not nature’s fault but that of a creature that is destroying nature. This creature is known as a human.”
He said, “The climate crisis is gearing up to be an enormous issue for us. Use of plastic has escalated this crisis across the world. Climate crisis, natural crisis, loss of biodiversity (are happening). This is not just due to plastic. There are many other factors.”
“Plastic has become such a menace that it is threatening our existence. Either it lives or we do. We cannot exist together. And its triumph continues. It seems that plastic goods watch us and giggle at our helplessness. They look at our lack of initiatives. They think - we’re taking over everything and you can’t do anything.”
Yunus said, “We’re observing this day in 2025 under this helplessness. As there is no proper plastic management, the global water bodies are filled with polythene and plastic. Biodiversity is facing destruction.”
The chief advisor noted that Bangladesh ranks ninth in plastic waste management globally. “I’m not sure whether we should be happy or sad about this. Why should we hold such a rank on this list? Why should we sacrifice ourselves for this? Clearly, we’re on a suicidal path. We’ll sit together formally for a day and discuss it, then go home. Life will continue to move towards destruction.”
Highlighting the way polythene and plastic have spread across the country's rivers, canals, agricultural lands, villages and cities, Yunus said: "We all know it. Some rivers have a layer of seven to eight feet of plastic on the bottom. This is not only worrying, it is terrifying.”
"An even more terrifying thing are microplastics, which cannot be seen by the naked eye. A little while ago, Rizwana explained to us that there is microplastic even in breastmilk; where else can we find it? Babies are now born with microplastics. A few days ago, microplastics were found in Hilsa fish in Bangladesh, and that is just one fish, but there are many more."
He said, “We don’t have time to delay any more. We have to wake up now. If this problem is not resolved, we will not survive.”
Yunus highlighted that the interim government took measures against polythene shopping bags after it came into power. “Plastic has many uses. One of them is water bottles. Our ministry has taken this as a symbol, a symbol for prevention against plastic and started a movement.”
“People laughed at us, but at least it stirred up discussion. What will we achieve with this? The good thing is that those who are young take the issue seriously, and that gives me hope. Those of us who are already old are the least bothered. Young people think about it, and we hope they will think on it more, so they can live on this Earth. This (plastic) is their No. 1 enemy. We don’t know what is No. 2, and when or from where it will come. If we can’t beat enemy No.1, no question arises of thinking of other enemies.”
Yunus said, “The biggest way to reduce plastic pollution is to stop using it as much as possible.”
