‘We Only Have One Earth’: Clean, Safe and Healthy Planet to Live

Bangladesh has been engulfed by air and water pollution

The world has changed drastically since that Stockholm conference which led to the designation of 5 June as World Environment Day, and so too has public consciousness around the topic. Concern for the environment has become an all-available trait, because, as this year’s theme emphasises, there is only one earth.

Environment is the surrounding conditions that have direct impact on all the living and non-living things. It comprises air that we breathe in, the water we consume, and the eco-system in which we live in. These all constitute our environment and they are deeply affected by the conditions that are taking new shapes on a daily basis.

Over the last couple of years, urbanisation in rural areas has polluted the earth at a massive rate. As more and more trees are being cut down for urban renovation, the emission of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide has increased tenfold, thereby, poisoning the atmosphere.

Deforestation and unplanned industrialisation have endangered the wildlife, and there is no one else to blame, but humans for this colossal destruction of the planet.

Like the rest of the world, Bangladesh too has been engulfed by air and water pollution.

Per an article published by bdnews24.com in 2021, a study evaluating the air quality of 6,465 cities across the world discovered that majority of the cities were failing to meet the standard air quality guidelines set out by World Health Organization (WHO).

Following the data collected by IQAir, a Swiss company which works with air purification and air pollution technology, the average amount of 2.5 airborne particles in the air of Bangladesh was 76.9 micrograms per cubic metre. This was the highest among the 116 countries which were a part of the survey.

In 2016, another report carried by bdnews24.com said that as per World Bank’s statistics, the environmental pollution in Bangladesh alone causes a loss of 6.5 billion dollars annually. This loss accounts for 3.4 percent of the total loss of GDP in 2015.

The report concludes that around 80,000 people die every year in the city due to environmental pollution. While the annual global death rate from environmental pollution stands at 16 percent, in Bangladesh, the value reaches as high as 28 percent.

A parliamentary watchdog on the environment ministry in Bangladesh has suggested that victims of environmental pollution should be compensated with the fines collected for those responsible.

The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has been commemorating June 5 as World Environment Day since 1984. The slogan for this year’s theme is ‘One Earth Only,’ which promotes sustainable living standards that are in ‘harmony with nature.’

Reporter's Age: 17 District: Sirajganj