Prime Minister Tareque Rahman directed ministries to prepare a national carbon credit roadmap, prioritising renewable energy, emissions monitoring, forest protection and institutional coordination to strengthen Bangladesh’s climate market participation.
Prime Minister of Bangladesh Tareque Rahman on Sunday outlined a national strategy aimed at reducing carbon emissions and strengthening Bangladesh’s participation in the global carbon credit market, directing officials to develop an integrated policy framework covering energy, industry, forestry and emissions tracking.
Speaking at a high-level meeting on climate change at the Prime Minister’s Office in the Secretariat, the Prime Minister instructed the relevant ministries to accelerate work on a coordinated roadmap to support emissions reduction and improve the country’s capacity to generate verifiable carbon credits.
“We must harness our potential in the international carbon market through evidence-based, actionable strategies,” he said. “Stronger coordination across government institutions is necessary to build a credible and transparent system.”
The Prime Minister also ordered the formation of an inter-ministerial committee to oversee the design, implementation and monitoring of carbon-related initiatives.
Focus on energy transition and emissions reduction
The proposed roadmap outlines several priority areas aimed at supporting a gradual shift toward a lower-carbon economy. These include expanding renewable energy generation, promoting energy efficiency in industrial production, strengthening afforestation and forest protection programmes and improving national systems for emissions data collection and verification.
Officials said the energy transition component would focus on scaling up solar and wind capacity while encouraging industries to adopt cleaner production technologies to reduce emissions intensity.
Carbon credit framework and market linkage
Carbon credits are issued when measurable reductions or removals of greenhouse gas emissions are verified under international standards, with each credit typically representing one metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent.
Under global carbon trading mechanisms, countries or companies that reduce emissions beyond required levels may be able to sell credits to those exceeding their targets. Bangladesh’s proposed framework aims to develop the institutional and technical capacity needed to participate more effectively in these markets.
Government officials present at the meeting said a transparent national emissions database would be central to ensuring credibility in future carbon trading arrangements.
Institutional coordination
The meeting was attended by State Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Sheikh Faridul Islam; Prime Minister’s advisers Mahdi Amin, responsible for Education, Expatriate Welfare and Labour, and Dr S.M. Ziauddin Haider, Adviser for Health; as well as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Dr Saimum Parvez, alongside senior secretaries from the relevant ministries.
Policy direction
Officials described the initiative as an effort to align Bangladesh’s climate policies with emerging international carbon markets while strengthening domestic capacity in emissions monitoring and green investment planning.
The proposed roadmap is expected to be developed further through inter-ministerial consultations before detailed implementation plans are finalised.
