Bangladesh

Environment and Energy

Energy and Climate Change

Although Bangladesh has been a Country Party to the UNFCCC since its inception, and has tried to fulfill its reporting criteria on a regular basis, it has not had much international support in facing climate change till now, in spite of its vulnerability. Through UNDP, it has been supported in controlling Green House Gases by the Montreal Protocol over the last 10 years by developing an Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) monitoring system, reporting mechanism and refrigerant management plan. The total Montreal Protocol portfolio is about USD 5 million. Again through UNDP, Bangladesh was supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), under its small scale enabling activities, in developing a National Action Plan for Adaptation (NAPA), National Capacity Self Assessment (NCSA), and the Initial and Second National Communications (SNC) to UNFCCC. GEF is also providing support through UNDP for a USD 3 million project to increase energy efficiency in the brick making industry.

The current Energy and Climate Change portfolio of projects aims at addressing climate change, primarily through building coping mechanisms at all levels - national, sub-national and local - for adaptation and linking climate change mitigation to develop sustainable energy for the poor and promotion of energy efficiency in the country. Future focus will also include assisting the private sector in accessing the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Carbon-MDG Fund.

Environment and Sustainable Development

Mismanagement of natural resources and the lack of a proper environmental understanding are two of the most critical issues making the development process extremely challenging in Bangladesh and resulting in unsustainable growth rather than sustainable development. Such priority issues can be mentioned as climate change, land degradation, water issues, loss of biodiversity and the critical inadequacy in integrating sustainability aspects in the national development process. The poor are disproportionately affected by environmental degradation and lack of access to environment and natural resources.

The Environment and Sustainable Development Cluster is dedicated to playing a catalytic role to facilitate mainstreaming sustainable development in Bangladesh by integrating pro-poor environment in policies and development planning. The programmatic interventions of the Cluster fall into four programme areas: (1) Natural Resource Management and Biodiversity Conservation, (2) Sustainable Land and Water Management, (3) Improved and Cleaner Urban Environment Management and (4) Sustainable Development and Environmental Governance.

Ongoing Projects

• National Ozone Depleting Substances Phase-out Plan

• Phase-out of CFC consumption in the Manufacture of Metered Dose Inhalers (MDIs) in Bangladesh

• Barrier Removal for Energy Standards & Labeling (BRESL)

• Improving Kiln Efficiency in the Brick Making Industry

• Capacity Building and Resource Mobilization for Sustainable Land Management in Bangladesh

• Bangladesh Green Development Programme

Closed Projects

• Second National Communication on Climate Change (SNC) (Sep 2008 to Dec 2011)

• Institutional Strengthening for the Phase-out of Ozone Depleting Substances (Phase-V) (Oct 2008 to Jun 2011)