{"id":7052,"date":"2026-09-07T08:37:17","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T08:37:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thedhakajournal.com\/?p=7052"},"modified":"2026-09-07T08:37:21","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T08:37:21","slug":"rally-and-street-meeting-mark-international-day-of-clean-air-for-blue-skies-2026-in-kalapara","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thedhakajournal.com\/?p=7052","title":{"rendered":"Rally and Street Meeting Mark International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies 2026 in Kalapara"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Kalapara, September 7, 2026:<\/strong> A rally and street meeting were held in Kalapara on Sunday to mark the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies 2026<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The programme began at around 11:30 am with a rally from the premises of the Kalapara Press Club. The rally marched through different areas of the local market before returning to the Kalapara Press Club premises, where a street meeting was held.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The programme was jointly organised by the Just Energy Transition Network Bangladesh (JETNET-BD)<\/strong>, Kalapara Environment and Public Safety Platform<\/strong>, Amra Kalaparabashi<\/strong>, Prantajan<\/strong>, and ActionAid Bangladesh<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The street meeting was chaired by Monowara Begum<\/strong>, President of the Kalapara Environment and Public Safety Platform. The programme was moderated by its General Secretary, S. M. Mosharraf Hossain<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among others, speakers and participants included Executive Member of the platform and President of Kalapara Press Club Nesaruddin Ahmed Tipu<\/strong>; Executive Member and environmental activist Mezbahuddin Mannu<\/strong>; Executive Member and General Secretary of Kalapara Press Club Amal Mukherjee<\/strong>; Vice-President Md. Kabir Talukdar<\/strong>; Joint General Secretary Milon Raju<\/strong>; Finance Secretary Shubhra Chakraborty Kalyani<\/strong>; President of Amra Kalaparabashi Voluntary Organisation Md. Rafiqul Islam<\/strong>; General Secretary Md. Rafsan Rimon<\/strong>; and Field Coordinator of Prantajan Saifullah Mahmud<\/strong>, among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking at the meeting, Nesaruddin Ahmed Tipu said that ensuring the use of solar energy could play an important role in protecting nature and the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To mark the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies 2026, the Just Energy Transition Network Bangladesh (JETNET-BD) has undertaken a nationwide awareness campaign involving its member organisations, young people, local communities and civil society groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The campaign aims to highlight the interconnection between clean air, energy use and a just energy transition, while creating opportunities for people at the local level to speak up in favour of sustainable energy systems. As part of this ongoing initiative, a citizens’ dialogue was also held in Barishal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speakers at the discussion said that the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies<\/strong> is observed globally every year on September 7. Clean air is one of the fundamental requirements for human health, livelihoods, the environment and overall well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since many of the sources of air pollution and climate change are interconnected, initiatives to ensure clean air are closely linked to efforts to address the climate crisis and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The theme of the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies 2026<\/strong> is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cClean Air, Healthy Choices: Acting Together for People and Planet.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The theme emphasises the importance of collective decisions and effective action by individuals, communities, institutions and governments. Energy use, transportation systems, industrial production, urban planning and many of our daily choices directly influence air quality. Therefore, ensuring clean air requires not only individual awareness but also effective institutional policies and policy changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the context of Bangladesh, air pollution has become a serious public health and environmental crisis. Toxic emissions from vehicles, uncontrolled brick kilns, industrial emissions, dust from unregulated construction activities, waste burning and excessive dependence on fossil fuels have contributed to alarming levels of air pollution in urban areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Children, elderly people, workers and low-income and marginalised communities are among those who suffer the most from the harmful effects of air pollution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The country’s conventional energy system is also directly linked to air pollution. Uncontrolled use of fossil fuels not only increases pollution and greenhouse gas emissions but also intensifies climate risks. Therefore, the expansion of renewable energy, improved energy efficiency, clean cooking facilities, sustainable transportation and the establishment of a Just Energy Transition<\/strong> are now urgent priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The speakers said that clean air is not a luxury; rather, it is a fundamental human right and a prerequisite for a healthy and safe life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They stressed that individual awareness alone is not enough to ensure clean air. There is also a need for the expansion of clean and renewable energy, sustainable transportation, clean cooking, energy efficiency and effective environmental and energy policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They further said that a just energy transition should ensure that workers and vulnerable communities are not adversely affected by the transition process. Instead, new opportunities for skills development and employment should be created so that everyone can benefit from the transition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The slogan \u201cClean Air, Healthy Choices\u201d<\/strong> is therefore not merely about individual decisions. It represents a shared responsibility of governments, businesses, communities, young people and people from all sections of society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the speakers, major sources of air pollution in Bangladesh include vehicle emissions, brick kilns, industrial pollution, construction dust, waste burning and excessive use of fossil fuels. Vulnerable groups such as children, elderly people, workers and low-income communities bear the greatest burden of this pollution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Excessive dependence on fossil fuels not only worsens air pollution but also increases greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks. Therefore, ensuring clean air and addressing the climate crisis cannot be treated as separate issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The speakers called for the expansion of renewable energy, improved energy efficiency, clean cooking facilities and sustainable transportation systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They said that transitioning from fossil fuels to clean and renewable energy is essential. However, while the benefits of this transition must reach everyone, it must also be ensured that workers, low-income communities and vulnerable groups are not unfairly affected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Just Energy Transition<\/strong>, they said, is not merely a technological or energy-related change; it is also a process of social and equitable transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The transition requires:<\/p>\n\n\n\n