Khaleda Zia’s death revives debate on her overlooked environmental legacy, from early policy moves to a 2010 call for unity on climate action as Bangladesh faces deepening risks.
The death of former Prime Minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia on Tuesday has reopened discussions on many facets of her political legacy, among them her early and sustained engagement with environmental protection and climate change, long before the issue became central to national and global politics.
Khaleda Zia consistently viewed environmental protection not as a partisan concern but as an existential national priority. This perspective was articulated most clearly in 2010, when she addressed the closing ceremony of the International Bangladesh Environment Conference organised by Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) and the Bangladesh Environment Network (BEN) at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka.
“Environment is not a party agenda. It is linked to our national existence,” she said, calling for national unity on climate and environmental action and urging political actors to rise above division to safeguard the country’s future.
Her remarks came at a time when Bangladesh’s climate vulnerability was gaining international attention but had yet to translate into sustained political consensus at home. Today, as the country faces escalating floods, river erosion, salinity intrusion, heat stress and climate-induced displacement, her words appear notably prescient.
During her tenure as prime minister, Khaleda Zia’s governments introduced several landmark environmental measures that laid the foundation for modern environmental governance in Bangladesh. These included the Wetland Conservation Act of 2000, the nationwide ban on plastic polythene in 2002, among the earliest such bans in the world and policy initiatives promoting four-stroke engines to reduce air pollution and protect public health.
In her 2010 speech, delivered while serving as Leader of the Opposition, she outlined an 11-point plan on environment and climate change to be implemented if her party returned to power. The plan proposed integrating climate considerations into national development planning, intensive afforestation in coastal regions, an end to hill cutting, mandatory effluent treatment plants for industries, re-excavation of canals, protection of wetlands and biodiversity, bans on toxic agrochemicals and strict legal action against river grabbing and deforestation.
She also focused on Dhaka’s environmental crisis, calling for the recovery of the Buriganga, Turag, Shitalakkhya and Balu rivers from encroachment and pollution and proposing a circular waterway around the capital to restore ecological balance.
Khaleda Zia’s environmental vision extended beyond national borders. She raised concerns over unilateral water withdrawal from transboundary rivers, citing the Farakka Barrage and the proposed Tipaimukh Dam, warning of their downstream impacts on Bangladesh’s environment and livelihoods. She urged the government to reflect public concern in negotiations with India.
Despite deep political polarisation, her 2010 address struck a conciliatory tone. She welcomed environmental initiatives taken by the ruling alliance and pledged full cooperation on climate and environmental issues.
Khaleda Zia also underscored the importance of global climate engagement, urging early preparations for the upcoming UN climate summit in Mexico and announcing the creation of a climate affairs post within the BNP, signalling an institutional commitment to climate policy.
As Bangladesh continues to confront the realities of climate vulnerability, Khaleda Zia’s emphasis on legal frameworks, ecological protection and political unity remains a significant, if often overlooked, dimension of her legacy. Her death closes a chapter in the country’s political history, but her call to treat environmental protection as a shared national responsibility endures as a reminder that the climate crisis demands cooperation beyond party lines.
