Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury today said the government has taken an initiative to include the issues related to environmental conservation and climate change to the textbooks from class-III to class-VIII.

"Such an initiative is being taken by the ministry as an urge to make children aware of environment from their early age by inserting environmental issues to their curriculum," he told a national roundtable on sustainable urbanisation and protection of environment at Sonargaon Hotel in the capital.

In addition, he said, effective steps are being taken to check air and noise pollution in the country.

Speaking as the chief guest, Saber Hossain said all should change their habits aiming to protect the country`s environment.

He urged all to be more aware of plastic use, asking city authorities concerned to play an effective role in waste management.

The environment minister said the government will not be able to do anything alone, so all should come forward to protecting the country`s environment and forest.

He stressed the need for forming a parliamentary caucus involving the 46 lawmakers who had promised ahead of the last general elections to mange waste.

Mohammad Khan, Director of USAID`s Bangladesh Office; Gwendolyn Apple, Vice-President (Programmes) of Counterpart International; Dr Ijaz Hossain, former Professor and Dean of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology; Captain Mohammad Fida Hasan, Chief Waste Management Officer of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC); and Sharif Jamil, Coordinator of Waterkeepers Bangladesh; also spoke at the seminar, among others. BSS