DHAKA : Environment Advsier Syeda Rizwana Hasan on Saturday stressed the need for public awareness for sustainable development saying that citizens must adopt lifestyle changes and reduce overconsumption, reports UNb.

“We must learn from our past mistakes and chart the course for our future,” she said while addressing the “Bangladesh Sustainability Conclave 2025” at the Dhaka North City Corporation Auditorium in the capital.

She also emphasised the need for increased investment in food security, safe food, clean air, and safe water.

She said that it is urgent to formulate and implement time-befitting policies in these areas.

“Bangladesh must transform into a beautiful, fertile, safe, and green country. For that, we must move towards sustainability,” said the adviser.

Highlighting the importance of people’s voices in environmental protection, the Adviser said that the incident of indiscriminate white stone extraction is a clear example of the urgency.

The use of pesticides and chemical fertilisers must be reduced, polythene shopping bags phased out, and reckless use of hills and forests in the name of development stopped.

The Adviser also said proposals for tax incentives will be placed before the government to encourage eco-friendly initiatives. “We have many policies but the most important task now is their effective implementation,” she said.

Mohammad Azaz, Administrator of Dhaka North City Corporation, presided over the event, according to a press release.

Other speakers included Nayoka Martinez-Backstrom, First Secretary and Deputy Head of Cooperation at the Embassy of Sweden, Dhaka; Farah Kabir, Country Director, ActionAid Bangladesh; Syed Mahbubur Rahman, Managing Director and CEO, Mutual Trust Bank (MTB); Selim H. Rahman, Chairman, HATIL; Md. Sariful Islam, Head of Influencing, Communications, Advocacy, and Media, Oxfam in Bangladesh; and Ahsan Rony, Executive Director, Mission Green Bangladesh.