Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus has warned that plastic pollution has reached such an alarming level that it now poses an existential threat. “Plastic has become something that roars—either it will survive, or we will. Both cannot coexist,” he said. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of World Environment Day, National Tree Plantation Campaign 2025, and the Environment and Tree Fair 2025 held on Wednesday, June 25, at the China-Bangladesh Friendship Conference Center in Dhaka, he highlighted the urgent need for proper plastic management, without which biodiversity is facing destruction.

He emphasized that if plastic pollution is not addressed immediately, humanity’s survival will be at risk. He also pointed to global conflicts as compounding environmental challenges and criticized mankind’s current trajectory, which he said goes against the natural order.

Referring to initiatives taken by the interim government, Dr. Yunus mentioned that if these plans are implemented effectively, wildlife will gradually return to the forests. He expressed hope that the next generation will be able to witness a pollution-free city. “The youth demonstrated their immense strength last July. They are the ones shaping the dream of a new Bangladesh,” he said, calling on young people—whom he described as the most creative generation in history—to lead the charge in tackling climate change.