PRESS RELEASE
BWGED and Partners Push for Fossil Fuel Phase-Out, Just Transition at COP30
BWGED Demands $1.3 Trillion Annual Green Finance to Power Bangladesh’s Energy Transition at COP30
BWGED Calls for Grant-Based Climate Finance and Fossil-Fuel Exit at COP30
Calls for new climate finance, technology transfer, and end to fossil fuel subsidies
2025-11-06
[Dhaka, 06 November 2025, Thursday]: The Bangladesh Working Group on Ecology and Development (BWGED) has called on global leaders to ensure and implement a concrete roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels at the COP-30 Climate Summit, now underway in Belém, Brazil.
In a statement issued on Thursday, BWGED warned against reliance on “false solutions,” including ammonia co-firing, carbon capture and storage (CCS), liquid hydrogen, nuclear, and waste-to-energy projects—which it said are “costly, unproven, and hinder the growth of renewable energy.” The group argued that such technologies risk locking developing nations like Bangladesh into a “long-term carbon dependency.”
As one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world, BWGED outlined three interconnected demands for COP-30:
Grant-Based Climate Finance – Immediate operationalisation of the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) to deliver at least $1.3 trillion annually, primarily as grants, directly accessible to national and local institutions, bypassing multilateral intermediaries.
Technology Transfer and Domestic Capacity – Advanced solar photovoltaic, wind, battery storage, and smart grid technologies must be recognized as global public goods, eliminating intellectual property barriers. International support should also strengthen domestic RE manufacturing, supply chains, and national institutions for grid modernization, energy storage, and regulatory frameworks.
Justice and Loss & Damage – Developed countries and multilateral banks must halt all financing, subsidies, and insurance for fossil fuels, particularly LNG, while establishing a Just Transition Fund to reskill workers, provide social safety nets, and create green jobs. The Loss and Damage Fund must operate on the principle of historical responsibility and reparations, rather than voluntary aid, ensuring continuous, needs-based replenishment.
According to BWGED’s estimates, Bangladesh has substantial renewable energy potential—50,000 to 140,000 MW of solar power and up to 50,000 MW of wind power, including offshore capacity. Rooftop and floating solar installations alone could surpass the country’s projected 2041 peak electricity demand of 60 GW.
The organization noted that solar power generation is currently three times cheaper than imported fossil fuels. Achieving 30% renewable electricity by 2040, it added, would require $35–43 billion; a modest figure compared to annual fossil fuel import costs. Innovative deployment such as floating solar on water bodies and rooftop solar could exceed the country’s projected 2041 peak electricity demand of 60 GW. Solar PV generation is currently three times cheaper than imported fossil fuels, and achieving a 30% renewable electricity share by 2040 would require an estimated $35–43 billion, far less than the costs of fossil fuel imports.
At COP-30, BWGED proposed that advanced solar photovoltaic, battery storage, and smart grid technologies be recognized as global public goods to eliminate intellectual property barriers and accelerate renewable deployment worldwide.
On the Loss and Damage Fund, BWGED stressed that it must serve as a mechanism of accountability and compensation, funded on the basis of historical carbon responsibility, rather than as a voluntary aid instrument.
The group further emphasized that Bangladesh’s energy transition must be people-centered, combining community-based initiatives such as the Solar Home System, which has already benefited over 20 million people with large-scale solar, wind, and smart grid projects.
Mr. Hasan Mehedi, Member Secretary, Bangladesh Working Group on Ecology and Development (BWGED), emphasised “At COP30, we stand for a truly just and fully financed transition, one that ends the age of fossil dependence and exposes the illusion of false solutions and dirty debt-games. The global community must replace empty promises with concrete action and ensure a livable future for those on the climate frontline.”
Dr. Khondaker Golam Moazzem, Research Director of Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD) said in the statement "The avoidance and apathy of admitting the responsibilities and taking necessary actions by major carbon-emitting countries, private investors and financial institutions including MDBs and IFIs against fossil fuel have been raising the economic, social and environmental costs of climate vulnerable countries including Bangladesh at an unbearable level. Therefore, COP-30 must bring a clear commitment to end this indifference.”
Finally, BWGED emphasized regional and global solidarity, highlighting coordination with the LDC Group, G77+China, and South Asian peers, including Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. This collective approach seeks to ensure stronger NCQG commitments, accelerated fossil fuel phase-out, and an equitable global energy transition.
Policy Brief: https://www.cleanbd.org/_files/ugd/1e88d4_025f52b7d07b4c08b16ef0fa143ba76c.pdf
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