Forum for Ecology and Development starts journey in Chittagong

02 Dec 2024 | 11: 33 am

The platform aims at expanding renewable energy projects by rejecting fossil fuel-based initiatives and at protecting the environment along the coastline in southeastern Bangladesh

Aiming at expanding renewable energy projects by rejecting fossil fuel-based initiatives and at protecting the environment along the coastline in southeastern Bangladesh, a new platform named Forum for Ecology and Development (FED) has been launched in the port city of Chittagong.

It comes in a special meeting held on this occasion in a hotel on Saturday, with Prof Dr Khaled Misbahuzzaman, professor at Institute of Forestry and Environmental Sciences of Chittagong University, and The Business Standard Chittagong Bureau Chief Shamsuddin Illius made FED’s convener and member secretary respectively.

The meeting was jointly organised by ISDE Bangladesh, Coastal Livelihood and Environment Action Network and Bangladesh Working Group on Ecology and Development.

ISDE Executive Director SM Nazer Hossain presided over the meeting where climate activists, journalists, politicians, academics, businessmen and development workers attended and spoke.

It was stated in the meeting that despite Chittagong Division being an area vulnerable to environment and climate crises, many projects have been taken in the energy sector in the area ignoring the issue of environment. Therefore, the entire coastal area will soon become a crisis area, the speakers feared.

Besides, mindless hill cutting, river pollution and encroachment, and the continuous increase in saline water are putting the people of the area in danger.

And the crisis is getting worse due to the adoption of fossil fuel-based projects that are harmful to the country’s economy and environment. Fossil fuel-based projects require huge foreign exchange to import fuel, which has an adverse effect on the country’s economy.

Citing the problems, they pledged to continue their campaigns against such projects and urge the government to scrap those. The speakers also vowed to carry out their activities for an increase to the investment in renewable energy.

They thanked the government for closing more than 78 projects cleared without any tender under the Quick Enhancement of Electricity and Energy Supply (Special Provision) Act 2010. At the same time, there were demands to repeal this law and reconsider 31 renewable energy projects.