It’s crucial that we unite against the destructive forces that threaten life and nature. This underscores the urgent need for a sustainable environment to realize the full potential of a developed, thriving Bangladesh, abundant in life and nature.

Ensuring a pristine environment hinge on shielding it from pollution. However, there’s a pressing question: how can Bangladesh advance without harming nature? For development, industrialization is imperative and that will inevitably lead to pollution.

This is where sustainable development comes in—environmental preservation takes precedence. Industrial activities will obviously yield various pollutants, jeopardizing the ecosystem.

However, adopting eco-friendly production methods can mitigate it. Sustainable solutions involve treating industrial waste and recycling byproducts. The innovation of new technologies and leveraging existing ones will play a key role in achieving this goal.

However, we already are seeing the youth in our nation working on this. A groundbreaking innovation is, a compact device capable of detecting levels of various pollutants—such as lead, chromium, and sulfide—in waste discharged by industries like leather, textile, and RMG. This device can be deployed in any water body, including rivers.

With instant data accessible via smartphones, users—be factory owners, government officials, buyers, or environmentalists—can monitor pollution levels remotely. Developed by the MHM Majiduzzaman in Bangladesh, this device even accurately assesses the pollution in fishponds.

It’s through such visionary individuals that we’ll find solutions to our environmental challenges and safeguard our planet.

To ensure a Smart environment, curtailing waste—especially electricity and fuel—is imperative. Globally, there’s a shift towards pollution-free renewable energy, and Bangladesh is not lagging. A shining example to this commitment is the Teesta Solar Power Plant, the nation’s largest solar energy facility. Spanning 650 acres of abandoned sandbar in Gaibandha’s Sundarganj, this cutting-edge project boasts 550,000 solar panels, generating 200 megawatts of electricity.

This initiative promises to mitigate pollution, enhance energy security, and spur regional development. In essence, the groundwork for a sustainable future has been laid.

Bangladesh is prone to a host of natural disasters like cyclones, floods, and tidal surges, but while we can’t control nature, we can reduce the damage through behavioral changes and proactive measures.

Understanding flood dynamics has always been challenge. However, this initiative delivers vital information directly to smartphones, including flood risk forecasts up to three hours in advance, anticipated water level fluctuations, high-risk areas, and even safety tips and emergency contacts. Picture waking up to a push notification alerting you to impending danger—you swiftly take action, stocking up on essentials and ensuring your family’s safety. It’s just amazing how many lives can be saved with just a simple notification.

Currently operational in 99 flood-prone upazilas spanning 55 districts, the system even has SMS alerts to reach marginalized communities. Efforts are underway to enhance the service by collecting data from flood control dams and leveraging advanced data analytics, computing techniques, and modeling.

However, disaster preparedness alone cannot bring in a Smart environment. With the looming threats of sea-level rise and escalating disasters fueled by climate change, Bangladesh—the world’s largest delta—has adopted the Delta Plan 2100 to tackle disaster and water resource management.

This comprehensive plan integrates water and land management, climate-friendly urban planning, inland water and river-based transport, blue economy initiatives, and renewable energy strategies to mitigate climate change impacts. Alongside data collection spanning 50 years, the initiative also established of 100 weather stations.

A long-term adaptation plan has been formulated after analyzing these data. The Delta Plan 2100 is a pivotal tool for Bangladesh in confronting the multifaceted challenges of climate change, ensuring a sustainable future for generations to come.

One of the biggest challenges to achieving a Smart environment is mitigating marine pollution.

With human activities bustling along the 710-kilometer coastline of the 118,813 square kilometers of marine territory, the challenges loom large. Several studies found human-made factors are the prime reason of marine pollution. Chemical compounds and non-biodegradable inorganic waste from terrestrial sources find their way into the sea, wreaking havoc on the marine ecosystem, endangering wildlife health, and disrupting economic structures.

A recent study by the Bangladesh Oceanographic Research Institute (BORI) revealed alarming presence pollutants in water and soil of Bangladesh’s coastal waters, as well as the detecting of microplastics—plastic particles smaller than 5 mm in diameter—in the bodies of marine fish.

This poses a grave threat not only to marine ecosystems but also to human health. The solution to combat includes extensive research aimed at devising innovative pollution prevention methods, regular beach cleaning initiatives, and comprehensive public awareness campaigns. BORI is actively engaged in research, employing state-of-the-art scientific gears in line with the objectives outlined in the government’s election manifesto, perspective plan, Delta Plan-2100, and SDG-14. We remain optimistic that with proper utilization of research findings and concerted efforts from all, this goal can be achieved.

Implementing a Smart environment requires more than just technology solutions; a shift in human consciousness is imperative. It’s imperative to raise awareness about environmental and climate change issues. These small steps, coupled with widespread participation, can yield significant positive outcomes.

Bangladesh is not only addressing these challenges domestically but also actively engaging on the global stage.

By implementing international pacts and policies on climate change and participating in the global environmental movement, Bangladesh aims to shape global public opinion.

Despite contributing only 0.4% of global CO2 emissions, we bear a huge economic, social, and environmental burden due to climate change. Advocating for climate justice, we stand with countries facing similar challenges.

In today’s interconnected world, collective action is paramount to save the planet.

While 2041 may seem distant, the groundwork for building a Smart environment and developed Bangladesh has already started. Leveraging technology and fostering awareness, we are committed to build a sustainable, vibrant Bangladesh.

Our initiatives will benefit in every household, neighborhood, and district, etching a legacy of success in the annals of a healthier, safer, and more habitable world for all.