Bangladesh stands at a crossroads when it comes to the plethora of environmental issues it has been facing for years if not decades. From our inherently climate-vulnerable nature to the many self-inflicted problems such as our rampant pollution, the nation desperately needs progressive policies which could roll back the damage that the environment continues to endure.
One front that Bangladesh has been making some progress in is the adoption of renewable energy sources in terms of power generation. While the previous government had set an ambitious goal of 40% of our power needs being met from renewable sources, the rate of progress was far from it. Under the interim government, we have seen the environment advisor champion the cause of tackling our pollution problem head-on, and now it is imperative that such measures take into account the potential benefits to that end of slowly pivoting away from the use of fossil fuels to power Bangladesh.
According to experts at a recent panel, the reliance on fossil fuels has a direct correlation to the deterioration of our air quality, which is seen at its worst in our capital city -- the quality of life in our urban centres then hinges greatly on shifting to increasing use of renewable energy. Alongside working towards eliminating obvious points of pain such as brick kilns and unfit vehicles, the current administration needs to mobilize effective policies that would integrate the adoption of renewable energy as a more integral part of a revised Energy Master Plan.
Experts recommend, to this end, gradually phasing out the use of fossil fuels in all sectors -- including power generation, transportation, industries, and households -- increasing the production and usage of environmentally friendly renewable energy sources, revising existing energy policies to support a transition to renewable energy, and increasing investment in more solar, wind, hydropower, and biogas-based projects.
Long have we battled with bad air and power issues. If the two problems can be solved in a holistic way, we need to be pro-active about it.
