As one of the most climate-vulnerable countries of the world, we need to institutionalize climate action in every aspect of our lives.
Recently, Dhaka witnessed a temperature of 40.6 degrees Celsius, which was the highest in six decades. Floods, river erosion, heavy rainfall, extreme droughts, etc have now become a common phenomenon in our country.
As a coastal country, we no longer have the luxury to sit still and do nothing to address this issue. One of the fronts that can contribute by taking meaningful actions is the numerous educational institutes of Bangladesh, as they are properly distributed throughout the country, and full of young minds who are the future of the country; also, they will be the most harmed individuals by climate change in the days to come.
Educational institutes can play a vital role in the process of taking action to save the environment, as young minds are the perfect catalysts to bring this sort of change in the society. In the early stages of life, children learn about morals and ethics of the world and try to abide by them throughout their life.
We often observe young people loitering, wasting resources, or contributing to pollution, but they learned this sort of callous behaviour from their elders. So, it is crucial for our environment and the future of our country to take action in educational institutes to promote sensible climate behaviour for our own and the future generation's welfare. Some of such initiatives might include but not be limited to:
- First thing to do is start being informed about the issue. Because to care about anything one must know about it beforehand. Educational institutes should introduce course materials regarding this topic and including them in the formal curriculum. Educators need to be properly trained and adequately equipped with appropriate tools to create a sense of urgency among their pupils regarding climate action. Only then will the learnings be embedded into students' lives, and the ripple effect will spread out to the community for the greater good
- Students can be encouraged to form a group or a club in their educational institute with the sole purpose of making their educational institute more environmentally-friendly and energy efficient. This group or club can also lead initiatives in the community to increase awareness and advocate for larger climate actions
- Educational institutes can regularly arrange innovative events like swap day or recycle day or exchange day, where everyone can bring the things they no longer need and exchange it with others for goods or money. Also, there could be a tree plantation day, plastic waste collection dayx etc. These kinds of activities will give the students a chance to learn and feel good about their actions
- To reduce waste in the educational institution premises, some initiatives can be taken, such as: Banning the use of single-use plastics, discouraging plastic waste products, reducing the use of papers where possible, stopping water waste, switching off electricity when it is not needed, etc
- Educational institutes can promote the climate agenda by leading from the front. For instance, to reduce their carbon footprint, they can arrange for own bus service or encourage them to use public transports; that way, students won't have to use personal transport while commuting to their educational institute. Also, educational institutes can opt for renewable energy sources and use energy efficient electronic appliances
When the young people of society take the lead to save the environment for their future, they will be able to make sure that their elders also comply with that. But to make the abovementioned activities a reality, stakeholder from every part of the social strata must work hand in hand to a great extent, as it is not an easy task.
It is the bitter truth that, as the impacts of climate change are not quite immediate or that direct, the authorities and relevant actors often feel indifferent to act on it. But there is no time to dwell on it anymore, because the appropriate time for action has long gone, so now we must cut our losses as soon as possible and take necessary steps to save our environment. And what better place to start the efforts than the hub of the young minds, their educational institutes.
Niaz Islam Arif is a development worker and freelance contributor.