Environmentalists believe that if 40% of electricity production can be ensured using clean energy or renewable energy by 2041, the country's air quality will be in accordance with the guidelines provided by the World Health Organization (WHO).
A press conference was held on Saturday morning at the Nasrul Hamid Auditorium of Dhaka Reporters Unity, jointly organized by the Center for Atmospheric Pollution Studies (CAPS), Bangladesh Resource Centre For Indigenous Knowledge (BARCIK) and World Vision Bangladesh, demanding "expansion of renewable energy in air and energy development".
The press conference was co-hosted by Parivesh Udyog, Institute for Planning and Development (IPD), Bangladesh Nature Conservation Alliance (BNCA) and the Center for Law and Policy Affairs (CLPA).
Presented speakers said air pollution has reached such a level that now heavy metals are being mixed into the blood of the human body through breathing.
The combustion of biofuel releases various pollutants into the air which are very harmful to the human body. It is the right of all people to live in clean air, which is one of the responsibilities of the government to ensure, otherwise the risk of contracting various critical diseases increases to a great extent, they said.
The experts warned that there is no alternative to increasing the use of renewable energy to protect the balance of the environment and keep the wheels of the economy moving.
The use of renewable energy plays an important role in both air quality and fuel development. The use of fossil fuels to meet the energy demand is constantly increasing the amount of greenhouse gas emissions, which can play an important role in global climate change as well as cause massive deterioration of air quality, they said.
They also noted that increasing the use of renewable energy by reducing dependence on fossil fuels can be an effective solution to address these challenges.
The speakers also said that according to the constitution of Bangladesh, the environment must be preserved for the present and future generations. Hence, air pollution control is essential for the public health and development of the country. Renewable energy is definitely essential for this.
At this time, the founding chairman of Caps, Professor Dr Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder made five recommendations including measures to achieve the target of production using 40% clean energy or renewable energy.
Mihir Bishsas, joint secretary of Bangladesh Environment Movement (Bapa) spoke at the press conference, World Vision Bangladesh Urban Program Technical Coordinator Dominic Centu Gomez, Bangladesh Resource Centre For Indigenous Knowledge ( BARCIK) coordinator Md Jahangir AlamCenter for Law and Policy Affairs (CLPA) Secretary Advocate Syed Mahbubul Alam, Bangladesh Supreme Court Advocate Rasheduzzaman Majumdar and others were present at the press conference.
Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumdar, the founding chairman of the Atmospheric Pollution Study Center (CAPS) presented the keynote speech.