Environmental group slams climate budget as insufficient, demands greater accountability and policy reform

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The Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) has criticized the government’s climate change fiscal policy, describing the stagnation of annual state allocations at 100 crore taka as grossly inadequate to address the country’s mounting environmental challenges. During a press conference held at the Dhaka Reporters Unity on Saturday, the environmental advocacy group argued that while the proposed budget for the Ministry of Environment shows a 22 percent increase compared to the previous year’s revised allocation, the funds risk becoming meaningless without rigorous accountability mechanisms.

Presenting the keynote paper titled “Environment and Climate Sector: 2026-27 Budget Analysis,” BAPA member Farhan Hossain characterized the budget as a litmus test for the state’s commitment to sustainable development. While acknowledging historical successes such as the ban on polythene and the reduction of vehicular emissions in Dhaka, the report highlighted a glaring contradiction in current state policy. BAPA noted that the government’s decision to allocate billions for river dredging appears hypocritical when, simultaneously, sand extraction—often facilitated under political patronage—continues to degrade the same water bodies.

BAPA President Noor Mohammad Talukdar urged the government to abandon the traditional, bureaucracy-dependent budgeting process. He warned that the historical trend of rushing to spend allocated funds at the end of the fiscal year has frequently served as a catalyst for corruption and financial mismanagement. To rectify these systemic issues, BAPA leaders called for the inclusion of environmental experts in the initial stages of budget formulation to ensure that spending is both transparent and scientifically sound.

General Secretary Md. Alamgir Kabir echoed these concerns, stating that while budget proposals are often framed to sound promising to the public, the reality is frequently marked by waste and the misappropriation of resources.

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To address these shortcomings, the organization proposed five core recommendations for the government. These include increasing climate-related spending to at least 3 percent of GDP by 2030 and implementing a carbon tax on high-emission industries and luxury vehicle imports. BAPA also urged the government to impose strict penalties on industrial facilities that operate without effluent treatment plants, accelerate waste-to-energy projects, and move toward a total ban on single-use plastics.

Furthermore, the advocacy group recommended the establishment of incubation centers and seed funds for climate-focused technology startups. They also advocated for strengthening the Space Research and Remote Sensing Organization (SPARRSO) to provide real-time monitoring of river encroachment, while calling for the protection of the Sundarbans through massive mangrove reforestation efforts rather than the construction of artificial embankments.