BracU inaugurates ICCES on International Climate Action Day
On 26th October, BracU inaugurated the Institute of Climate Change, Environment and Sustainability (ICCES), a milestone promoting youth-led climate action, on the International Climate Action Day. The day was first organised by 350.org in 2009 as a reminder of the need to address climate change. The chief guest was former Vice-Chancellor Professor Ainun Nishat (Advisor, C3ER). The vision of youth engagement in shaping a climate-resilient future was shared by guests, including Engr. Sheikh Tajul Islam Tuhin, MCIPS (Chairman, ICCES), Sharmin Nahar Nipa (Coordinator, ICCES), and Ratul Dev (Executive Director, GenLab).
Engr. Tuhin founded the new institute to promote collaborative research, training programs, and youth-led initiatives to address various environmental challenges. He says, “With the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), we are hoping to launch a tree plantation program, targeting planting 1000 trees.” Sharmin Nahar Nipa highlighted the importance of policies for climate change. She says, “Our main goal is to create something related to solving the climate crisis that can be integrated into national strategies.” Currently, there are 80 projects targeting issues related to water, agriculture, and youth empowerment. She further adds, “Youth-led action is the foundation of dealing with climate change. With this idea in mind, we’ve trained more than 1500 young people across Bangladesh.”
One of the most inspiring talks came from Ratul Dev (Executive Director, GenLab), an alumnus of BracU. His message to the attendees was, “Sustainability is not just a profession; it is our duty to Mother Earth.” He shared some staggering statistics – a single pair of jeans requires 7500 litres of water, a T-shirt 2700 litres, and one Dhaka-London flight emits two tons of carbon. He urged everyone to shift from footprints to handprints, emphasising plant-based diets, cycling, public transport, reusing, and mindful consumption. His inspiration came from global youth leaders like Venessa Nakate, Elizabeth Wathuti, and Xiuhtezcatl Martinez. He enthusiastically says, “From pop culture to PR, people are finding creative and even humorous ways to make climate talk interesting.”
Sustainability is not just a sole pursuit but a shared responsibility. As a newly formed institute, ICCES takes its first steps by symbolising hope and igniting a spark in the youth to lead the way towards a greener planet.
