Bangladesh environmental groups demand climate pledges and reforms as elections near, warning political neglect and weak institutions could worsen ecological crises in one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations’ deltas.
Leading environmental organisations in Bangladesh have called for urgent political commitments on climate action and environmental protection as the country prepares for its 13th National Parliamentary Election. They warned that the absence of institutional reform could deepen the nation’s ecological crisis.
A two-day environmental conference organised by Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) and the Bangladesh Environment Network (BEN) will begin this Friday at the Krishibid Institution Bangladesh auditorium in the capital. The announcement was made at a press conference held on Wednesday at the Dhaka Reporters Unity.
Speakers at the briefing expressed concern that despite the formation of several reform bodies under the interim government, no Environment Reform Commission has yet been established. They argued that this omission reflects the continued marginalisation of environmental governance in national policy-making.
Presenting the keynote, BAPA Vice President Dr Shahidul Islam said the conference titled “The Necessity of Environmental Reforms and the Way Forward” will start at 9:30 am on Friday and will be inaugurated by Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
He said the conference will feature seven expert sessions focused on environmental reform, with 117 national and international experts presenting research papers. In addition, eight special sessions will address key thematic areas, including water governance, urbanisation, energy, agriculture, pollution and waste management, forests, hills and biodiversity, coastal regions, ports and marine pollution, as well as earthquake preparedness and disaster risk management.
Chairing the session, BAPA Vice President Mahidul Haque Khan urged political parties to place environmental protection and climate resilience at the core of their election manifestos. He said environmental protection is impossible without political will and cautioned voters against supporting individuals and interests linked to environmental degradation.
BEN founder Dr Nazrul Islam said that while multiple reform commissions have been formed during the interim government’s tenure, environmental reform has remained absent. He stressed the need to include environmental reform in the proposed July Charter and in political parties’ election pledges alongside reforms in environmental policy implementation and enforcement.
BEN Global Coordinator Dr Khalequzzaman said Bangladesh continues to lag behind developed countries in environmental standards despite being one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable delta nations. He said environmental decline is closely linked to unequal control over land and natural resources and argued that development should not allow a small economic elite to control forests, rivers and public land in the name of profit.
Environmental scientist Professor Dr Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder said Bangladesh must move beyond short-term and fragmented climate projects. He called for integrated and long-term planning across agriculture, water management, biodiversity conservation and coastal protection with greater reliance on climate-friendly technologies, nature-based solutions and renewable energy.
In his welcome address, BAPA General Secretary Md Alamgir Kabir said the organisation has worked for environmental protection for more than 25 years but continues to face resistance from vested interests operating under political patronage. He said the conference aims to help prevent the country’s environment from sliding into a new crisis by outlining a roadmap for meaningful reform.
Organisers said the conference is expected to contribute to broader national and international dialogue on environmental governance in Bangladesh at a time when climate vulnerability, electoral politics and development priorities are increasingly intersecting.
