ED: Committing to cleaner energy

It has been said time and time again that Bangladesh is among the most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change; the ongoing floods devastating the country provide just one example.

Despite Bangladesh itself having a very minimal impact on causing climate change, we as a nation must keep up with the times and do our part in pursuing cleaner and more sustainable sources of energy for our burgeoning economy.

To that end, Bangladesh looking to rethink their strategy on investing in coal-powered power plants gives hope, and is the sort of progressive thinking that is required for the country moving forward.

The current plan for increasing Bangladesh’s energy capacity, which was drawn up in 2009, heavily focused on coal due to its cost-effectiveness. However, with coal no longer as affordable, along with its detrimental effects on the environment, there is plenty of incentive for Bangladesh to pursue cleaner options for its energy production.

Despite current plans seemingly hinging on a move to liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a cleaner and more affordable option -- which in itself is certainly a better option than coal -- Bangladesh must also commit to expanding its capacity of renewable energy, including solar, wind, and hydro.

It must be remembered that the prior commitment by the government of generating 10% of the country’s energy from renewable sources by 2020 remains a distant goal; with Bangladesh currently generating just 3%, this remains an area where Bangladesh must simply do better and not lag behind. 

The future of energy is clean and sustainable, and Bangladesh’s growth trajectory must align with it.