Experts, including environmentalists, at a policy dialogue on Thursday emphasised the need for an increase in renewable energy use for the liveability of cities.
They have put out a call at the event, Role of Renewable Energy for a Liveable City, at Bangla Motors in Dhaka for phasing out fossil fuel use in all sectors, including power generation, transport, industries and households.
The Centre for Atmospheric Pollution Studies, the Bangladesh Institute of Planners, the Bangladesh Resource Centre for Indigenous Knowledge, the Centre for Participatory Research and Development and Jet Net BD organised the event.
The Centre for Atmospheric Pollution Studies chair, Professor Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder, who was the keynote speaker, said that dependence on fossil fuels remained significant in developing countries such as Bangladesh, where industrialisation and urbanisation are rapidly increasing.
He said that the dependence was harming the air quality, noting that 鈥榓ir pollution causes the death of more than 1,00,000 people, including more than 5,000 children, a year in Bangladesh.鈥� He listed oil, gas and coal as the primary contributors to pollution.
Professor Mohammad Ali Naqi, who was guest of honour, said that renewable energy must be integrated into policies, planning and implementation strategies with a timeline to build a liveable city.
The environment department鈥檚 director for air quality management Md Ziaul Haque said that the agency had decided to monitor power plants and set a target to generate 4,000MW of electricity from renewable energy by 2030.
The Bangladesh Institute of Planners president Professor Adil Muhammad Khan chaired the programme where experts recommended a revision of policies to support renewable energy transition, increase investment in solar, wind, hydropower and biogas projects, set emission standards for power plants and industries in keeping with global benchmarks with strict enforcement.
They also recommended the private sector鈥檚 participation in using聽 international funds to promote renewable energy.