Nov 18, 2025
| Staff Correspondent
A 12-point citizens’ manifesto calls on parties to phase out fossil fuels and safeguard public resources
Ahead of the national elections, a coalition of civil society organisations has called on political parties to commit to a just, equitable, and climate-resilient energy transition, urging the gradual phasing out of fossil fuels.
At a press briefing on Tuesday, organised by eight groups led by the Bangladesh Working Group on Ecology and Development (BWGED), the activists presented a 12-point citizens’ manifesto, outlining their demands for a sustainable energy future.
Despite Bangladesh achieving 99.25 percent electricity coverage, the organisers warned that decades of fossil fuel dependence, coupled with impractical master plans, have inflicted severe financial strain, escalated environmental degradation, and heightened public health risks, according to the media statement.
In the keynote speech, Monower Mostafa, advisor, Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network (CLEAN), highlighted the scale of the challenge, saying national carbon emissions have doubled, rising from 146.8 million tonnes in 2008 to 281.4 million tonnes, while air quality has deteriorated to among the world’s most hazardous.
BWGED Member Secretary Hasan Mehedi said private power producers have taken Tk 1.72 trillion in capacity charges over the past 16 years, while the Power Development Board recorded cumulative losses of Tk 2.53 trillion, compelling the government to inject Tk 2.36 trillion in subsidies. “Public resources are disproportionately siphoned off into the coffers of fossil fuel–linked vested interests.”
The citizen’s manifesto demands included the formulation of a new national energy policy, the phasing out of fossil fuel subsidies, an end to the construction of new fossil fuel power plants, a reduction in liquified natural gas use, and the formulation of a clear renewable energy roadmap.
News Link: Parties urged to pledge equitable, climate-resilient energy shift before election