View of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. File photo for representational purposes only.
Dhaka: The Bangladeshi interim government's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has underscored the urgent need for Bangladesh to transition toward cleaner, safer, and more affordable energy solutions as the country navigates a new path toward sustainable economic development.
"It is time for Bangladesh to seriously consider clean energy alternatives, including large-scale solar deployment," Yunus said while speaking during a virtual conference on Thursday with the experts of the Anthropocene Institute, a forum for governments and advocacy groups to address global environmental challenges, his press wing said Friday.
Yunus said Bangladesh, one of the world's most densely populated and climate-vulnerable nations, cannot afford prolonged reliance on fossil fuels, noting that the interim government has recently introduced a new national power policy aimed at accelerating solar energy adoption.
"We will certainly explore these opportunities," he said. "But we need in-depth studies on these promising technologies. There is no question that Bangladesh must drastically reduce its dependence on fossil fuels."