The results of a study revealed at COP21 in Paris show that a move towards renewable energy could reduce emissions by a staggering 1.7 gigatons a year by 2020.
Furthermore, as the level of green energy financing is likely to rise after the COP21 negotiations, it is quite likely that the 1.7 gigaton estimate will grow further in the future.
These findings are important. We have editorialised before about the need for clean, renewable energy. The present way of doing things — using energy sources like coal — is simply not sustainable in the long run.
The conference in Paris has made it clear that climate change is one of the most pressing global concerns of our time, and the consequences of inaction would be disastrous and irreversible. Bangladesh should play its part in the global fight against climate change and support the move towards a clean energy revolution.
For far too long we have been overly reliant on fossil fuels. These fossil fuels are finite in amount, and contribute to increased levels of greenhouse emissions. However, as recent studies have highlighted, economic growth need not come at such a steep environmental cost.
The government can and should encourage the production and usage of renewable energy, and disincentivise burning fossil fuels. We cannot afford to be short-sighted about this.
Bangladesh is a flood-prone nation and is particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. It is for this reason that we need to set an example.
Many nations throughout the world have already realised the true value of clean energy sources like wind and solar. Bangladesh cannot afford to lag behind.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
