The Bangladesh Working Group on Ecology and Development (BWGED) has called on global leaders to ensure and implement a concrete roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels at the COP30 Climate Summit.
In a statement issued on Thursday, BWGED warned against reliance on "false solutions," including ammonia co-firing, carbon capture and storage (CCS), liquid hydrogen, nuclear, and waste-to-energy projects-which it said are "costly, unproven, and hinder the growth of renewable energy." It said the above unproved technologies risk locking developing nations like Bangladesh into a "long-term carbon dependency."
BWGED outlined three interconnected demands for COP-30, Grant-Based Climate Finance - Immediate operationalisation of the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) to deliver at least $1.3 trillion annually, primarily as grants, directly accessible to national and local institutions, bypassing multilateral intermediaries.
"Technology Transfer and Domestic Capacity - Advanced solar photovoltaic, wind, battery storage, and smart grid technologies must be recognized as global public goods, eliminating intellectual property barriers. International support should also strengthen domestic RE manufacturing, supply chains, and national institutions for grid modernization, energy storage, and regulatory frameworks," it said.
Mr. Hasan Mehedi, Member Secretary, Bangladesh Working Group on Ecology and Development (BWGED), emphasised "At COP30, we stand for a truly just and fully financed transition, one that ends the age of fossil dependence and exposes the illusion of false solutions and dirty debt-games. The global community must replace empty promises with concrete action and ensure a livable future for those on the climate frontline."
Developed countries and multilateral banks must halt all financing, subsidies, and insurance for fossil fuels, particularly LNG, while establishing a Just Transition Fund to re-skill workers, provide social safety nets, and create green jobs. The Loss and Damage Fund must operate on the principle of historical responsibility and reparations, rather than voluntary aid, ensuring continuous, needs-based replenishment, it said.
According to BWGED's estimates, Bangladesh has substantial renewable energy potential-50,000 to 140,000 MW of solar power and up to 50,000 MW of wind power, including offshore capacity. Rooftop and floating solar installations alone could surpass the country's projected 2041 peak electricity demand of 60 GW.
The organization noted that solar power generation is currently three times cheaper than imported fossil fuels. Achieving 30% renewable electricity by 2040, it added, would require $35-43 billion; a modest figure compared to annual fossil fuel import costs. Innovative deployment such as floating solar on water bodies and rooftop solar could exceed the country's projected 2041 peak electricity demand of 60 GW. Solar PV generation is currently three times cheaper than imported fossil fuels, and achieving a 30 per cent renewable electricity share by 2040 would require an estimated $35-43 billion, far less than the costs of fossil fuel imports.
At COP-30, BWGED proposed that advanced solar photovoltaic, battery storage, and smart grid technologies be recognized as global public goods to eliminate intellectual property barriers and accelerate renewable deployment worldwide.
