Bangladesh must cut fossil fuel reliance for a sustainable energy future | Opinion analysis

An opinion piece from Prothom Alo argues that Bangladesh needs to accelerate its shift from imported fossil fuels to renewable energy. The author points out that the country spends billions annually on imported LNG, coal, and oil, money that could instead fund solar parks, wind farms, and grid upgrades. Bangladesh already has millions of solar home systems installed, but the piece calls for much larger investments in utility scale solar, rooftop systems, wind along the coast, and biomass from agricultural waste. The article connects this transition to economic competitiveness, especially for the garment export sector facing pressure to decarbonize supply chains. It also notes that Bangladesh is highly vulnerable to climate impacts despite low per capita emissions. The piece argues that faster policy implementation, better financing, and domestic manufacturing of solar panels and batteries could create jobs and reduce import dependence. It is a broad call to action rather than a detailed technical roadmap, but it covers the main arguments for why Bangladesh needs to move faster on renewables.