Gone are the days when a country could plan to grow economically while mistreating the environment. It is true -- economic activity does take a toll on the natural world around us, from the air we breathe, to the water we drink, to the ozone layer above our heads, but often in the past, this has been seen as a reasonable price to pay. Now, however, we are wiser and more scientific-minded, and we know that as we move forward economically, we must simultaneously address the dire threat of climate change. There is no other way.
At the sixth day of the 10-day programs celebrating the birth centenary year of the Father of the Nation at the National Parade Ground, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made an appeal for sustainable development for the greater good, pointing out that we -- Bangladeshis -- are the greatest sufferers of climate change even though we contribute very little to it. It is also good to see that the PM has urged global leaders to take the right steps to fight this global crisis.
A lot of good work has already been done in Bangladesh, thankfully, towards adaptation and mitigation. There have been noteworthy efforts to move towards renewable sources of energy, but at the end of the day, much will come down to the commitment displayed by the global community. This is an issue larger than any single nation, and shallow interests will simply not do.
As Bangladesh turns 50, let us make a renewed vow to take better care of the environment around us, and keep up the global fight to make sustainability an indispensable dimension of all our development activity.
