Hundreds of young people, workers and climate-impacted communities marched through Dhaka on Friday, demanding a people-centred just transition, major revisions to Bangladesh’s fossil-fuel-heavy energy plan and urgent action from COP30 negotiators as global climate talks enter a decisive phase.
Hundreds of young people, workers and climate-affected communities flooded the streets of Dhaka on Friday in a forceful call for climate justice, renewable energy and an immediate overhaul of Bangladesh’s Integrated Energy and Power Master Plan (IEPMP). The demonstration took place as world leaders negotiate the future of global climate action at COP30 in Belém, Brazil.
Organised by YouthNet Global, the Bangladesh Labour Foundation, the National Alliance for Just Transition Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Institute of Labor Studies, the rally combined political urgency with creative public engagement. Participants built a Climate Justice Solidarity Wall, carried banners rejecting fossil-fuel solutions, and marched alongside mascots depicting a Sundarbans tiger and an endangered panda, symbolising ecosystems threatened by climate breakdown.
“Young people and workers are refusing to stay silent,” said Sohanur Rahman, Executive Coordinator of YouthNet Global and a youth delegate in Bangladesh’s COP30 team. “A just transition means leaving no one behind. We want transparent investment in solar and wind power, not empty promises and polluting projects.”
AKM Ashraf Uddin, Executive Director of the Bangladesh Labour Foundation, said workers remain on the frontline of climate disasters. “Their health, livelihoods and futures are at risk. A just transition must protect jobs, strengthen social protection and ensure climate finance actually reaches those who need it. No one should be sacrificed for profit-driven energy plans.”
Aruba Faruque, Deputy Executive Coordinator of YouthNet Global, stressed the justice dimension: “Those who contributed least to the crisis should never bear its worst impacts. COP30 must deliver for our communities, youth and workers. A Just Transition is about equity, dignity and the right to a livable future.”
Voicing scientific urgency, Professor Kamruzzaman Majumder of Stamford University said the protesters’ demands aligned with years of climate research. “The world must move rapidly and fairly away from fossil fuels. Grant-based climate finance is essential to protect the most vulnerable.”
Trade union leader Naimul Ahsan Juwel warned that informal-sector workers are already bearing the cost of a crisis they did not create. “We demand climate finance, Loss and Damage action, and a Just Transition that secures jobs and rights. COP30 cannot fail our people.”
A central demand of the Dhaka strike was the swift revision of Bangladesh’s energy master plan. Activists said the IEPMP locks the country into expensive fossil fuel dependence, undermines energy security and ignores viable renewable alternatives. They called for rapid investment in solar and wind with transparency, community involvement and equity at the core.
As the rally concluded, youth leaders and labour rights groups affirmed solidarity with global climate movements, urging COP30 negotiators to deliver a renewable, inclusive and grant-supported climate agenda, one that strengthens adaptation, operationalises Loss and Damage funding and embeds human rights and worker dignity in every step of the just transition.
Friday’s demonstration was part of the Global Climate Strike 2025, linking Dhaka’s demands to a worldwide push for a clean, fair and just future. Participants vowed to continue mobilising until COP30 delivers the transformative action communities urgently need.
