Brac University Vice-Chancellor Professor Syed Ferhat Anwar has called on Bangladesh to take a leadership role in environmental conservation, noting that the country is home to the world’s largest mangrove forest, the largest delta, the longest natural sea beach and the largest deep-sea submarine fan.
“Submarine fans” refer to deposits of sediment bodies near continental margins in deep-marine environments and are known to be potential areas of hydrocarbon exploration.
The world’s largest submarine fan, known as the Bengal Fan, virtually occupies the entire length of the Bay of Bengal, with a length of 3,000 km, a width of 1,430 km and a sediment thickness of 16.5 km.
The leadership of academia is crucial in addressing environmental challenges through research, innovation and the empowerment of young people, he said.
“Brac University possesses an advantage that many other universities do not—one that we are currently leveraging: our sister organization, Brac. Brac has a presence across the entire country. We would love to capitalize on this advantage and help in any way possible to ensure we create a better world and a better Bangladesh,” he added.
The vice-chancellor was addressing the opening of a two-day celebration of World Environment Day, observed by the United Nations on June 5, 2026, and World Nature Conservation Day 2026, observed on July 28.
Brac University's Centre for Climate Change and Environmental Research (C3ER), with support from Mutual Trust Bank PLC (MTB), organized the celebration on the university’s Merul Badda campus starting August 8.
Chief guest Shaikh Faridul Islam, state minister for environment, forest and climate change, announced a government initiative to plant 250 million trees nationwide, with mapping already underway to identify suitable species by region.
He also called for eliminating wood-fuel brick kilns and replacing single-use polythene with biodegradable alternatives and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to conducting public health impact assessments before undertaking major development projects.
Md Saimum Parvez, special assistant to the prime minister for environment, forest and climate change, stressed the importance of the "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" principle alongside circular economy where waste is turned back into usable resources involving government, educational institutions, banks and civil society.
Brac University Professor Emeritus Ainun Nishat, also the C3ER’s adviser, observed that Bangladesh is bearing the consequences of a climate crisis it had little hand in creating.
Pro-vice-chancellor Prof Arshad Mahmud Chowdhury stressed the need for government, academia, the private sector, and the public to collectively address climate and environmental challenges, reaffirming Brac University's own commitment to sustainable development.
MTB Managing Director and CEO Syed Mahbubur Rahman highlighted the bank’s nature conservation efforts under corporate social responsibility and that students must undertake such tasks and lead Bangladesh in the future.
AKM Sohel, additional secretary and wing chief (UN wing), Economic Relations Division, said Bangladesh is increasingly placing emphasis on adaptation-focused climate financing and strengthening access to global climate funds.
C3ER Director Dr Golam Rabbani delivered the keynote presentation and suggested focusing large-scale tree plantations, environmental restoration, greener and cleaner cities and waste management.
Awards were presented to the top three participants of a She4Climate Fellowship Program — an initiative supporting women's leadership in climate action.
The celebration, held as Brac University marks its 25th anniversary, concluded with a collective commitment to strengthen environmental stewardship and advance a more sustainable, climate-resilient Bangladesh.
The event contributes to SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), SDG 15 (Life on Land), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
