We must restore momentum in environmental governance

The environment remains a priority concern in Bangladesh given its status as one of the most vulnerable countries in terms of environmental degradation and climate change impacts. The country’s riverine geography, low-lying coastal regions, high population density, and inadequate capacity to cope with environmental changes have made millions of people vulnerable to floods, storms, cyclones, ecosystem degradation, and pollution-related hazards. Changes in climatic patterns have become increasingly evident in recent decades, affecting lives, livelihoods, and overall wellbeing. Bangladesh currently ranks 13th globally in the Long-Term Climate Risk Index, and over the past two decades, some 185 extreme weather events have resulted in 11,450 deaths and Tk 372 crore  in economic losses. Continued degradation of environmental conditions is also threatening its broader social stability. Environmental considerations, therefore, are becoming increasingly critical to national policy debates.

Over the last two decades, Bangladesh has experienced clear momentum in environmental governance. Significant progress has been made in recognising the country’s environmental vulnerability and in shaping a policy environment with stronger institutional arrangements to tackle environmental challenges. The Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP), acknowledged as one of the earliest comprehensive national-level climate-related policy frameworks among the developing nations, was adopted in 2009, outlining priorities for adaptation, mitigation, and institutional capacity building. In 2010, The Environment Court Act was enacted, providing for specialised courts to address environment-related offences and strengthening the enforcement of environmental laws. The establishment of the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund (BCCTF), in the same year further demonstrated the commitment to finance climate adaptation and resilience initiatives using domestic resources, marking an important step towards sustainable climate finance.

The policy momentum continued in 2011, when environmental protection received constitutional recognition through the inclusion of Article 18A, which mandates the state to protect natural resources, biodiversity, forests, wildlife, and wetlands. In 2018, the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 was developed, integrating water management, climate change, and land-use strategies across six specific hotspots to reduce floods, droughts, and salinity risks. All these initiatives laid a strong foundation for environmental governance and created significant policy momentum in addressing the country’s environmental priorities.

However, the momentum that had gradually developed over previous decades could not be sustained during the interim administration, which assumed office in August 2024 and transferred power in February 2026. Development planning and implementation trends during that period reflected a weaker performance in environmental and climate change actions. In both FY2024-25 and FY2025-26, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change received only about 0.23 percent and 0.27 percent of the national budget respectively—allocations that remain far below the roughly one percent level that many policy analysts consider necessary to effectively address Bangladesh’s environmental challenges. The implementation of environmental actions by the interim government also showed similar weaknesses. Overall Annual Development Programme (ADP) spending fell to only 68 percent in FY2024-25—the lowest in 49 years—while development spending up to December 2025 in FY2025-26 reached only 17.54 percent, the lowest first-half implementation rate in the past five years. These trends indicate persistent gaps between the country’s environmental policy commitments and their actual delivery.

The period of the interim government also witnessed several incidents related to the protection of natural resources and ecologically sensitive landscapes that drew widespread public criticism. The looting of white stones from Sylhet’s Sada Pathor area and continued illegal sand extraction from rivers across the country caused serious ecological damage, clearly reflecting weaknesses in regulatory enforcement during that period.

With the end of the interim administration and new political leadership now in the driving seat, Bangladesh has another important opportunity to restore momentum in its environmental governance. The new government has made a number of commitments in its election manifesto that signal a positive intention to strengthen environmental governance. These include the plantation of 250 million trees and creation of green employment opportunities by linking ecological restoration with livelihood generation; promoting integrated waste management and recycling initiatives under a circular economy framework; strengthening pollution control and environmental monitoring; exploring the development of a national carbon trading mechanism; and improving river and water resource management, along with the protection of coastal ecosystems. These commitments could play a critical role in restoring Bangladesh’s environmental momentum and reinforcing the country’s long-term sustainability agenda.

While the commitments outlined in the election manifesto reflect positive intent, many of the proposed initiatives appear more as individual actions rather than elements of a comprehensive governance framework. Over the past two decades, Bangladesh has been able to build a strong policy foundation for environmental governance, but translating this policy momentum into effective institutional practice—through stronger regulatory enforcement and adequate financial resources—remains a challenge. Addressing this should be a priority for the new government. Without strengthening the capacity of regulatory institutions, improving coordination across ministries, and ensuring consistent environmental financing, even well-designed initiatives—such as large-scale tree plantations, waste management programmes, or river restoration projects—may struggle to deliver sustainable outcomes.

Bangladesh’s environmental governance has evolved through decades of policy development shaped by the country’s acute vulnerability. Although the interim administration struggled to sustain the policy and institutional momentum built in previous years, the return of elected political leadership now presents an opportunity to restore that momentum. With stronger institutional commitment, effective regulatory enforcement, and strategic investment, Bangladesh can translate its policy foundations into concrete environmental action and move towards a more resilient and sustainable future.

Muhammad Muktadirul Islam Khan is country researcher and head of consultants at Sustainability Action Learning Lab. He can be reached at muktadirr@hotmail.com.

Views expressed in this article are the author's own. 

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