In the wake of the July 2024 Uprising Bangladesh once again is at a historic crossroads, with youth playing a critical role in reshaping the future of the country. As we aspire for a Bangladesh 2.0, can a country progress if it doesn’t care about the health of its environment? The touted economic progress of Bangladesh has come at the significant cost of devastating our deltaic ecosystem. The rivers that once enamored the land with abundance of fish, vegetables, crops and paradisical beauty have turned into dumping ground of toxins and concrete jungle. Decades of industrialization have put economic growth and an interest of a small group of rich oligarchs over the wellbeing and betterment of the society and the sustainability of this land in the future. An economic model that has been achieved by drastically destroying the natural ecosystem, dismantling the traditional harmony with nature by dominating, displacing and exploiting the farmers, fisherfolks and labour. The July 2024 uprising is a watershed moment to reinstate the rights of the people and restore the ecosystem of this land through ensuring justice and equitable distribution of the land, rivers, and marshlands. 

This NEO 2025 urges the youth to drive the vision of a nation that awakens from its previous predicaments and re-envisions its future alongside nature. This theme is focused on the imperative intersection of socio-political transformation and climate justice, calling for reforms that prioritize social wellbeing, ecological sustainability and climate resilience into the country’s national development agenda.

It is time to rise for the earth, not just for Bangladesh. Let us build a new Bangladesh — one that is green, regenerative and sustainable for the generations to come. NEO 2025 — the invitation to the key change you need to be a part of! If you are inspired from within yourself to go the purest earth, join the National Earth Olympiad (NEO). This is your moment to challenge yourself, and learn more about the crises our environment faces, and to join a global cohort of changemakers. Be a part of 2500+ NEO Alumni and represent Bangladesh at the International Earth Science Olympiad 2025 in China!