Born as a ray of hope

In the quiet village of Shibpur in Satkhira's Tala upazila stand rows of young trees -- mango, jackfruit, hog plum, areca, and neem. Villagers proudly say these trees belong to baby Ruhab.

Only eight months old, Ayaan Khan Ruhab cannot walk yet, but he has already made history as he has been recognised as Bangladesh's first carbon-neutral baby.

Born on February 10 this year, Ruhab's arrival brought not only joy to his family but also inspired them to send a message of hope for the planet.

His father, Imran Rabbi, founder and president of environmental organisation GreenMan, and his mother, Ayesha Akhter, the group's coordinator, decided their child would enter the world with a different message: "He has come not to take from the Earth, but to give back to it."

After calculating the average lifetime carbon footprint of a person, the couple estimated how many trees would be needed to offset it. In September, they planted 580 fruit and forest trees on their land as well as on that of relatives and neighbours.

"We want Ruhab to grow up in a world where there's more oxygen than smoke," said Imran. "The trees planted for him will grow as he grows. They are the best gift we could ever give him. We want him to learn that people and nature complement each other."

To ensure scientific accuracy, Rabbi consulted experts at the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) in Dhaka. Together, they calculated the number of trees required to neutralise an individual's lifetime carbon emissions in Bangladesh's context.

Following this guidance, the family launched the plantation drive with help from relatives and community members, explaining the purpose behind every sapling.

Recognising the initiative, ICCCAD formally certified Ruhab as Bangladesh's first carbon-neutral child at an event organised by Dhaka Planters, one of its grant-winning projects, on October 19.

Ayesha said, "The trees we planted are not only for our child -- they're for every child's future."

Gazi Zahidul Islam, headmaster of Tala Shaheed Kamel Model High School, praised the effort. "When the birth of a child inspires tree planting, change will not take long. This is not only an act of environmental conservation -- it's a lesson in responsible citizenship."

Environmental activist and retired principal Ashek Elahi said, "Satkhira is a district constantly tested by nature. Every year it faces cyclones, tidal surges, and salinity. In such a place, planting trees is not just about protecting the environment, it's about survival."

He added that every child's birth should be marked by planting enough trees to offset their lifetime carbon footprint. "If those trees bear fruit, they will also support the family economically."

Another environmentalist, retired principal Pabitra Mohan Das, said, "Ruhab's green identity offers a ray of hope. If such initiatives spread, even disaster-prone areas like Satkhira could regain their greenery.

"If Bangladesh -- a country at the frontline of climate vulnerability -- made it mandatory to plant trees for every newborn, it would be one of the greatest climate investments for the future."