Experts call for investing in renewables for clean energy
The country is moving towards producing dirty energy despite having all the opportunities to start afresh with renewables said Professor of Economics Anu Muhammad of Jahangirnagar University
It is high time foreign investors stopped financing dirty coal- and LNG-fired power plants and invested in renewable energy sources instead, experts said at a programme on Friday.
They observed that the developed world is on course to invest in clean energy production with an aim to save the planet.
The observation came at a virtual dialogue titled "Energy Investment in Bangladesh" co-organised by 16 campaign groups, nonprofit organisations and climate movement platforms from Bangladesh and across the globe.
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The dialogue was inaugurated by renowned Bangladeshi energy campaigner and Professor of Economics Anu Muhammad of Jahangirnagar University.
In his inaugural speech, Anu Muhammad said Bangladesh is going towards a blind path leading on to the production of dirty energy whereas it had all the opportunities to start afresh with renewables.
"The tragedy is the government and its foreign guides went for fossil or dirty fuels for electricity generation while there were enough alternatives," observed Prof Anu.
"Our power system master plan is very interesting. There is no Bangladeshi consultant involved in it. Everyone is from JICA and Japan," he said.
The master plan is basically working in the interest of foreign financiers from Japan, China and such like, as well as their subcontractors, he said.
The event was co-organised by: the Bangladesh Working Group on External Debt, the Asian Peoples Movement on Debt and Development, BankTrack, Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network (CLEAN), Green Camel Bell, Growthwatch, the International Accountability Project, the Indian Social Action Forum (INSAF), the Japan Center for Sustainable Environment and Society, KRuHA Indonesia, MarketForces Australia, the NGO Forum on ADB, Phulbari Solidarity Group, Recourse, the Sunrise Project, and Urgewald.
In her address, environmentalist and Supreme Court lawyer Syeda Rizwana Hasan said the developed world is under pressure to switch to clean energy.
"We want a community-led energy policy which will ensure clean, accessible and cheap energy for all. Now it is not the investment in dirty energy coming to Bangladesh, it is also leading the country to incur debt and face environmental destruction," added Rizwana.
Yiting Wang from the Sunrise Project, Tonny Nowshin from Urgewald, health expert Dr Manan Ganguli, Rayyan Hassan from the NGO Forum on ADB, Munira Chowdhury from Market Forces, among others, spoke on the occasion.
The dialogue was facilitated by Hasan Mehedi and Vidya Dinker.
