Rizwana urges all to be eco-centric to protect nature

Environmental, Forest, and Climate Change Advisor Syeda Rizwana Hasan today called on everyone to adopt the ‘eco-centric’ mindset in order to preserve the environment, water, land, and all living things.

“We have to be eco-centric in our approaches rather than anthropocentric. We have to put nature at the center of all our activities. We must not try to change the nature as it has its own rules to follow,” she told the inaugural session of the 15th National Nature Summit 2025 at Notre Dame College here as the chief guest.

‘Endeavor towards a Plastic-Free World’ is the theme of the two-day summit being organized by the Notre Dame Nature Study Club (NDNSC).

The opening session was presided over by Dr. Fr. Hemanto Pius Rozario, principal of Notre Dame College, and featured a special guest presentation from Muqeed Majumdar Babu, chairman of the Prokriti O Jibon Foundation (Nature and Life Foundation).
 
“You all must protect air, soil, and water,” said Rizwana, also the water resources adviser, adding, “Any development that does not protect the soil that provides us food, the water that we drink, and the air that is needed for us to take a breath every second is not a development at all.”

About the degradation of the nature, the environment adviser Rizwana said that the previous generations or the predecessors are responsible for the environmental pollution happening across the world.

“The environment is changing because you [current generation] people are bearing the brunt of the wrongdoings done by your predecessors,” she said, adding that nowadays, the children of this generation have to take unsafe food and inhale polluted air.

“Even, no river can ensure potable water in the country,” she said.
She urged the new generation to introduce innovative solutions to deal with today’s ecological challenges.

Finding a ray of hope in the new generation, the adviser said this generation is more empathetic towards all forms of living beings of the earth and the nature that made them different than the previous generation.

“My generation thought that making infrastructures like buildings and flyovers is development. Today’s generation not only thinks about the human rights but also thinks about the rights of the other creatures, such as ensuring a friendly environment for pets and other animals,” she said.

“The environment is not only about the rights of the people; rather, it’s also about the lives of those who cannot speak,” she added.
 Rizwana said people should not destroy anything that they cannot build in the world.

“You can create 200 tannery factories, but you cannot create one river like ‘Buriganga’ or ‘Dhaleshwari’,” she said.

In an effort to increase awareness of noise pollution, she suggested that everyone refrain from honking while driving.

She called on everyone to adopt a more environmentally responsible way of living for the benefit of the natural world.

She believed that the dedication and leadership of today’s youngsters will provide the groundwork for a healthy environment in the future.