Saber Hossain Chowdhury, special envoy of the prime minister on environment and climate change, yesterday stressed the importance of having a mindset to look at development both from the lens of economic benefit as well as public health.
Saber, also chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, said the country's policies should not deviate from the Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan which was unanimously approved by the Cabinet.
He was speaking at a national dialogue titled "Ensuring Clean Air: Challenges and Way Forward", organised by the Centre for Atmospheric Pollution Studies (CAPS) and World Vision at The Daily Star Centre in the capital.
"What should be the approach to define development? Will it be judged based on GDP growth, foreign direct investment and forex reserve? While these are important, however, when we take the quality of life of people into account, then public health becomes a really big issue," he said.