Bangladesh is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, yet its contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions remains relatively small. This apparent contradiction, however, should not become an excuse for inaction. Reducing carbon emissions is not simply an obligation to the global climate agenda.
For Bangladesh, it is increasingly a question of energy security, economic efficiency, public health, industrial competitiveness and sustainable development.
The good news is that Bangladesh does not have to choose between economic growth and lower emissions. Many of the measures that can reduce carbon emissions can also reduce production costs, cut dependence on imported fuel, improve air quality and create new employment opportunities. The challenge is to move from scattered initiatives to a coherent national strategy with measurable targets and effective implementation.
Bangladesh's Third Nationally Determined Contribution, or NDC 3.0, provides an important framework. Based on 2022 emissions, the country''s greenhouse gas emissions are projected to rise substantially by 2035 under a business as usual scenario. The NDC estimates that Bangladesh can achieve a cumulative reduction of about 84.97 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent between 2026 and 2035, equivalent to 20.31 per cent, through unconditional and conditional measures. The conditional component depends on adequate international climate finance.
Bangladesh does not need to wait for the world's largest emitters to solve the climate crisis before acting. Nor can it sacrifice development in the name of climate policy. What it needs is a development model in which economic growth itself becomes progressively less carbon intensive
The first priority should be transforming the energy sector. Bangladesh's growing economy will require more electricity, but simply adding fossil fuel based generation would lock the country into higher emissions and increasing exposure to volatile fuel prices. Renewable energy therefore needs to move from a supplementary source to a central pillar of the power system.
The Renewable Energy Policy 2025 has set a target of obtaining 20 percent of electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and 30 per cent by 2040. These are ambitious targets, but they will remain meaningless unless implementation accelerates.
Solar power offers Bangladesh an especially promising opportunity. The country has severe land constraints for large solar parks, but millions of square metres of rooftop space are available on factories, commercial buildings, schools, hospitals, government buildings and other establishments.
Rooftop solar, supported by effective net metering and easier financing, could become a major component of the country's energy transition. Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA) itself has identified rooftop systems as important because of land limitations.
There is already evidence that renewable energy can deliver both environmental and economic benefits. A World Bank supported programme has added 338 megawatts of renewable electricity to Bangladesh's grid and is estimated to avoid about 377,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year. The lesson is clear: renewable energy is not merely a climate intervention; it is also an investment in energy security.
But generating cleaner electricity is only half the equation. Bangladesh must also use energy more efficiently. The country has long recognised this need. SREDA's Energy Efficiency and Conservation Master Plan sets a target of reducing primary energy use per unit of GDP by 20 percent by 2030. According to SREDA, achieving this target could save an amount of energy equivalent to around 78,000 million cubic metres of gas and reduce expenditure on imported fuels.
Energy efficiency deserves much greater attention in factories, commercial buildings and government institutions. Large industries should be required to undertake regular energy audits and introduce efficient motors, boilers, cooling systems and production processes. Textile and garment factories in particular have strong incentives to become more energy efficient because international buyers are increasingly demanding lower carbon production. Bangladesh's export competitiveness will increasingly depend on its ability to produce goods with a smaller carbon footprint.
Transport is another major battlefield. Bangladesh cannot solve its urban transport problem simply by putting more cars on increasingly congested roads. The country needs a fundamental shift towards mass public transport, rail, walking and cycling. In Dhaka, improving the quality, reliability and safety of buses could be as important as expanding major rail based systems. Better urban planning can also reduce unnecessary journeys.
Electrification should accompany this shift. Electric buses, three wheelers, motorcycles and delivery vehicles can reduce urban pollution and emissions, provided that the electricity supplying them increasingly comes from clean sources. Railway modernisation should also receive greater attention. Bangladesh's NDC 3.0 identifies transport efficiency, mass transit, rail improvement and electric vehicles among its important mitigation measures.The brick industry presents another opportunity. Brick kilns are major sources of greenhouse gas emissions as well as hazardous air pollutants. Modernising or replacing inefficient kilns can therefore deliver a double dividend: lower carbon emissions and cleaner air.
The NDC identifies construction and brick kilns as a significant mitigation sector, with a potential total reduction of about 26.78 per cent against its projected 2035 emissions under the combined unconditional and conditional measures.
Bangladesh should also pay greater attention to methane. Climate policy often focuses almost entirely on carbon dioxide, but methane is a powerful greenhouse gas. Poorly managed municipal waste, wastewater, livestock and rice cultivation can all contribute to methane emissions.
Better waste management is therefore essential. Open dumping and burning should gradually disappear. Cities should introduce systematic waste separation, recycling, composting and controlled landfill management. Organic waste can be converted into biogas or compost rather than simply being dumped. Such measures can create employment and economic value while reducing emissions.
Agriculture also needs a low emission transition. Bangladesh cannot afford policies that impose unrealistic burdens on small farmers, but it can promote water efficient rice cultivation, improved fertiliser management, better livestock waste management and biogas production. Climate smart agricultural practices can simultaneously reduce emissions, improve productivity and strengthen resilience.
Buildings are another largely untapped area. Bangladesh's rapidly expanding cities will require millions of square metres of new residential and commercial space. If these buildings are designed around energy intensive cooling and inefficient appliances, the resulting electricity demand will persist for decades. Building codes should therefore promote natural ventilation, passive cooling, efficient lighting, energy efficient air conditioners, insulation and rooftop solar. Government buildings should lead by example.
Protecting forests, wetlands and other ecosystems is equally important, although tree planting should never be treated as a substitute for reducing fossil fuel consumption. Mature forests store carbon, protect biodiversity and provide vital ecosystem services. Preventing deforestation and restoring degraded ecosystems should therefore complement, rather than replace, emission reductions in energy and industry.
Ultimately, Bangladesh needs to change the way it thinks about carbon reduction. Climate policy should not be treated as a collection of environmentally desirable projects. It should become part of mainstream economic planning. Every major infrastructure investment, industrial policy, transport project and energy decision should be examined for its long term carbon implications.
Financial incentives will be crucial. Businesses should have easier access to affordable finance for solar power, energy efficiency and cleaner technologies. Public procurement should favour energy efficient and low carbon products. At the same time, wasteful fossil fuel consumption should gradually become less attractive through appropriate economic and regulatory measures.
The central message is straightforward. Bangladesh does not need to wait for the world's largest emitters to solve the climate crisis before acting. Nor can it sacrifice development in the name of climate policy. What it needs is a development model in which economic growth itself becomes progressively less carbon intensive.
The opportunity is substantial. Renewable energy can reduce dependence on imported fuel. Energy efficiency can lower industrial costs. Public transport can reduce congestion and pollution. Cleaner brick production can improve urban air quality. Better waste management can create jobs. Energy efficient buildings can lower household expenditure. Protecting forests can strengthen ecological resilience.
Bangladesh has already established many of the necessary policies. What is now required is implementation, coordination, investment and accountability. The country's climate challenge is therefore not simply about reducing tonnes of carbon. It is about building a more efficient, cleaner, healthier and economically resilient Bangladesh. The sooner that transition begins in earnest, the greater the benefits will be for both the present generation and those yet to come.
* The writer is the Editor and CEO of News Network