As global climate diplomacy intensifies toward COP 30, Bangladesh stands at a critical juncture. A nation acutely vulnerable to sea-level rise, cyclonic fury, and climate-induced economic shocks, its position on renewable energy is not just about sustainable development—but survival. At home, progress and challenges coexist; abroad, Bangladesh must advocate with moral clarity and strategic pragmatism.
Despite ample solar radiance and wind corridors, Bangladesh’s share of renewable electricity remains strikingly low—hovering around 5 percent of total generation. Even as the first utility-scale wind farm went online in 2024 in Cox’s Bazar, contributing 60 MW, the renewable energy transition remains nascent.
Indeed, 2024 saw Bangladesh record its fastest-ever growth in renewables—adding roughly 331 MW of generation capacity—but this is only a drop in the ocean relative to the country’s ambitions.
The draft Renewable Energy Policy 2025 envisions generating 20 percent of electricity from renewables by 2030 and 30 percent by 2041. Civil-society advocates push even higher: a transition to 30 percent by 2030, 40 percent by 2041, and ultimately 100 percent by 2050, consistent with Bangladesh’s broader climate prosperity ambitions.
Such targets, however, may lack grounded realism. CPD projects that achieving just a 30 percent renewable share by 2040 will require investments between US $35 billion and $42.6. IEEFA estimates that meeting the 2030 target necessitates $933 million to $980 million annually until then, and up to $1.46 billion annually thereafter.
Several research methodological obstacles have been identified. They are: 1. Policy Uncertainty & Investor Risk: Abrupt changes—like the suspension of 31 renewable projects and withdrawal of Letters of Intent—have eroded investor trust.
- Lack of Financing Mechanisms: The draft policy is criticized for its vague, conditional language (“may” instead of “shall”), reliance on weak implementation frameworks, and absence of a green finance backbone or currency hedging facility.
- Institutional Capacity and Coordination: Sustainable And Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA), the renewable sector’s regulatory linchpin—suffers staffing and coordination constraints, undermining its implementation efficacy.
- Fossil Fuel Entanglement: Despite its green rhetoric, the government is eyeing a new 1,200 MW coal plant at Matarbari—an act undermining credibility and signaling incoherence.
- Tariff Barriers: Import duties and taxes on solar components inflate costs and deter small-scale adoption.
As COP 30 approaches, Bangladesh finds itself with both a platform for principled leadership and a responsibility to pursue grounded realism. Bangladesh must continue to insist that climate finance is not charity but reparations. As Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus remarked at COP 29, “Why should there be a negotiation? You are causing the problem, then you solve it,” rejecting “fish market” bargaining over survival. COP 30 must spotlight climate debt, loss and damage, and accelerate accessible financing—not piecemeal grants.
Bangladesh should anchor a bloc of climate-vulnerable states—combining small islands, river-delta nations, and frontline low lying countries—to demand grant based transition funds, technology transfer, and fairer multilateral financial architecture. COP 30 is the moment to push for refinancing global institutions with climate equity, not just climate efficiency.
Domestically credible transitions build international trust. Bangladesh should firm its targets with Clear phasing-out of fossil fuels. Defined budgets and timelines for scaling rooftop solar, utility-scale wind, and solar irrigation. Strong incentives like import-duty waivers, green credits, cost-sharing support for micro projects etc. Reinstatement of implementation agreement clauses to ensure project bankability and reinstatement of green funding in national budgets.
With the EU’s €1.3 billion pledge, Bangladesh gains both capital and leverage—so long as it enacts governance reforms: transparent bidding, smart grid deployment, regulatory clarity, and synchronized energy policy. Bangladesh must frame its pathway not just as green but equitable. That means subsidies or cost sharing for small entrepreneurs, farmers, and off grid communities; support for technical capacity building via SREDA and academic institutions; and an electric transformation of transport aligned with the Climate Prosperity vision of EVs and batteries.
Bangladesh’s renewable future—and its moral voice at COP 30—depend on marrying ambition with accountability. It must demand that rich nations pay up, but it must also deliver domestic coherence, transparency, and viability.
At COP 30, Bangladesh can rightfully stand at the forge of equitable climate action. With a sharpened message—“We did not light this fire, but we stand in its ashes. Help us out, as our survival depends on it”—it speaks not just for itself, but for the millions whose futures hang in the balance.
Asaduzzaman Shamrat, Executive President, South Asian Climate Change Journalist forum (SACCJF)
