THE PLASTIC PROBLEM
At one end of the world, leaders from different countries have gathered to discuss climate change and how to save the environment from further deterioration. At the other end, monkeys are chewing plastic and polythene discarded by tourists of the Sundarbans in Khulna. Plastic pollution is slowly killing life not only at sea but also on land, as accidental consumption can lead to the death of many animals. Plastics also threaten the ability to keep the global temperature below 1.5 degrees Celsius – an objective of the COP conferences – as greenhouse gases are emitted throughout the plastic life cycle. PHOTO: HABIBUR RAHMAN
Jahanara Begum, 70, came to capital’s Abdul Gani Road at 8:00am to collect kitchen essentials from a TCB truck at subsidised prices and ensure that her daughter in-law can cook lunch on time for her bed-ridden son and grandchildren. However, as the truck hadn’t arrived even till noon, she had to leave empty-handed, wondering what her family would eat today. The soaring market prices of essentials have left many from the low-income group, like Jahanara, desperate and helpless.
PHOTO: PRABIR DAS
