Bangladesh stands at a defining crossroads. The question is no longer whether the country will expand renewable energy, but who will own it, who will benefit from it, and whose future it will serve. The current Draft Renewable Energy Development Strategy 2026 - 2030 risks preserving the very inequalities it claims to overcome replacing imported fossil fuels with imported technologies while leaving centralized control, fossil subsidies, and community exclusion largely untouche

Every Fourth of July, the United States celebrates the Declaration of Independence, one of history's most influential political documents. Its assertion that all people possess inherent rights and that governments derive their legitimacy from the consent of the governed reshaped the modern world. Few national declarations have inspired so many struggles for freedom across continents. As America approaches its 250th anniversary, however, Independence Day is more than a celebra

Language is never a neutral vessel. The vocabulary we use to speak of protecting the living world shapes both our understanding of that world and the kinds of actions we deem possible or legitimate. When contemporary environmental law adopts the language of “rights of nature,” it necessarily draws upon a long Western political tradition whose central categories, subject and object, grantor and recipient, rights-holder and duty-bearer, were never designed to accommodate glacie

In Bangladesh, climate change acts as a "threat multiplier" creating a growing humanitarian crisis characterized by mass internal displacement. Scale of Displacement Current and Future Risks: Approximately one-third of Bangladesh's population is at risk of displacement by 2030. Long-term Projections: By 2050, it is estimated that one in every seven people in the country will be displaced by climate change. Regional Impact: Projections suggest Bangladesh could have up to 19.9

Using the observed peaks (May–June 2025 and 2026), the historical seasonal pattern in Bangladesh, and the possibility of warmer-than-normal conditions associated with El Niño during the second half of 2026, a reasonable scenario suggests that demand could remain elevated through September before declining during winter. This is a scenario-based forecast rather than an official BPDB forecast. El Niño tends to increase temperatures and suppress monsoon rainfall over South Asia,

Do Not Sacrifice Long-Term Resilience for Short-Term Stability: In a crisis, governments often prioritize immediate relief through subsidies, emergency imports, or short-term borrowing. While sometimes necessary, these measures should not lock countries into deeper dependence on imported fuels, unsustainable debt, or environmentally destructive development pathways. The lesson is simple; every emergency response should be assessed against whether it strengthens or weakens lon

The World Cup 2026 is not only a stage of powerful nations; sometimes, it is the language of dignity of the smaller countries. Right now, Cape Verde is crafting such a language, a small African island nation comprising ten islands of the Atlantic Ocean, located about 600 kilometers away from the coast of Senegal, having a population less than half a million and the courage to challenge the giants of world football. Being able to hold the European champion Spain to a goalless

Bangladesh cannot achieve its 10,000 MW renewable energy target by creating policies that benefit only large corporate investors while excluding the very communities needed to drive a just energy transition. The National Board of Revenue’s latest SRO offers selective tax relief for utility-scale solar projects, yet imposes short implementation timelines, burdensome certification requirements, and restrictive compliance conditions that place small enterprises, community initia

It is typical of the classical textbook on IR to pose a clear dichotomy to small states existing under the dominance of a larger power, which are either to 'Balance' or 'Bandwagon'. The relation between Bangladesh and India for decades was seen in such a way. At one point, there was an attempt to balance, which meant coldness and ideological conflict, while at another time, it involved bandwagoning based on political confidence and historic bonding. Yet, the political transf

Bangladesh’s energy future is often framed as a climate challenge. This investigation reveals a deeper reality: it is increasingly a question of economic sovereignty. While the country continues to spend billions on imported fossil fuels, renewable energy remains trapped by financing bottlenecks, fragmented governance, and an investment system that rewards short-term dependence over long-term resilience. This comprehensive study on renewable energy investment in Bangladesh un

Definition of Eco-democracy: Eco-democracy, often called ecological democracy, is a form of democracy that tries to make environmental protection, ecological sustainability, and public participation central to political decision-making. Overall, eco-democracy is a democratic governance approach in which citizens, communities, and institutions participate in decisions (existing destructive development model that tends to degrade) affecting the environment, with the aim of prot

Bangladesh’s industrial future is being shaped by a quiet but urgent challenge: how to keep its vast network of small and medium enterprises competitive in a world that increasingly demands low-carbon production. These businesses power jobs, exports, and local economies, yet remain heavily dependent on fossil-fuel-based electricity, outdated machinery, and fragmented support systems locking in both high emissions and rising costs. As global markets tighten climate requirement

Bangladesh’s small and medium enterprises sit at the heart of its industrial economy and at the center of a growing climate and competitiveness dilemma. As global markets tighten carbon requirements, these firms face rising pressure to cut emissions while grappling with outdated machinery, fossil-fuel-dependent electricity, and limited access to finance and technical support. Without targeted action, this disconnect risks slowing industrial growth, undermining export readines

Bangladesh’s push for 10,000 MW of solar power by 2030 is not just an energy target it is a test of whether the country can break free from rising fuel imports, volatile costs, and an increasingly strained power system. Despite strong potential, solar deployment has lagged not because of a lack of capital, but because of misaligned policies that keep financing expensive and markets constrained. As highlighted in the policy brief , the real bottleneck lies in how money flows n

For many countries, energy policy has long been defined by a single question: how to secure enough fuel to keep the lights on. But for climate-vulnerable and low-income nations, this approach often creates a deeper dependence on imported fossil fuels, volatile global markets, and external political pressures. The concept of energy sovereignty under Natural Rights Led Governance (NRLG) challenges this model. It reframes energy not simply as a commodity to be secured, but as a

Bangladesh’s economic future is increasingly tied to the stability of its energy system. Yet heavy reliance on imported fuels exposes the country to global price shocks, foreign-exchange pressure, and rising electricity costs for industries and households. As energy demand rapidly grows over the coming decades, the challenge is no longer simply expanding power supply it is building a system that is resilient, affordable, and compatible with national climate commitments. This

Bangladesh’s industrial future is being shaped by a global shift toward low-carbon production. For the country’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) which power more than 90% of industrial units and employ the vast majority of the industrial workforce this transition is no longer a distant climate agenda. It is increasingly tied to export competitiveness, energy security, and access to global markets. Yet most SMEs operate with outdated machinery, high electricity costs, and

If human desires could be fulfilled without restraint, the Earth and its inhabitants would have long since perished, this is a scientific reality. According to science, not all human desires are realizable because the Earth has a finite carrying capacity. The structure of human civilization clearly demonstrates that climate, biodiversity, land use, everything, has a safe operating limit. The concept of planetary boundaries identifies nine critical thresholds, including climat

In the emerging era of artificial intelligence, humanity is at a critical juncture. Machines are no longer merely instruments of automation; they are fast becoming intelligent machines that surpass human capabilities in reasoning, prediction, and even artistic endeavors. However, in the midst of this accelerating technology, there is a critical question that is being asked too seldom: Can there be intelligence without wisdom, and what are the implications of such a phenomenon

South Asia sits at the frontline of the climate crisis, yet the voices shaping climate finance decisions are often distant from the communities facing the greatest risks. The South Asia Stakeholder Consultation on the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) brings together civil society, researchers, financial experts, and practitioners from across eight countries to reflect on how global climate finance mechanisms are working on the ground and where they are falling short. The dialog

The military strikes on Iran by the U.S. and Israel have immediately upended global energy markets. Given the timing, occurring over the weekend, the full market reaction will manifest when Asian trading opens on Sunday, March 1, 2026. As a result, Iran has already shut down Strait of Hormuz movements. 1. Impact on Oil and Gas Prices: The primary driver of price volatility is the Strait of Hormuz, which handles approximately 20% of global petroleum and LNG. Crude Oil (Brent):

Climate finance is becoming one of the most decisive forces shaping South Asia’s development trajectory. Yet the region home to some of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries often faces structural barriers in accessing and implementing global climate funds effectively. The South Asia Stakeholder Consultation on the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) brought together civil society leaders, researchers, financial experts, and development practitioners from across the region

Bangladesh’s rapid infrastructure expansion has been powered by borrowing but the way projects are governed is now emerging as a critical risk to the country’s fiscal future. In recent years, external debt has grown sharply while repayment pressures are rising, particularly in the power and infrastructure sectors. As global financial conditions tighten and major loan repayments approach, questions are intensifying about whether public borrowing is consistently translating int

Over the past three decades, Mymensingh’s landscape has been quietly but profoundly reshaped. Fields have expanded, settlements have surged, and once-abundant waterbodies and green spaces have steadily disappeared. This position paper traces those changes from 1990 to 2024, revealing how everyday decisions about farming, housing, and land conversion are collectively altering the district’s ecological foundations. What emerges is not a distant environmental concern, but a stor