The government has proposed an allocation of Tk 100 crore in the national budget for the fiscal year 2025–26 to address the growing risks posed by climate change.
“I propose to allocate Tk 100 crore in the next fiscal year to take necessary actions considering the depth and seriousness of climate change risks,” Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed said during his budget speech on Monday.
Highlighting Bangladesh’s vulnerability, he noted, “Bangladesh ranks among the countries most at risk from the impacts of climate change.”
To combat these challenges, the Climate Change Trust Fund is implementing various initiatives, including the prevention of air, water, and soil pollution, waste management, environmental development, climate change mitigation, health impact assessments, enhancing women’s adaptive capacity, coastal ecosystem evaluation, and capacity building of the media to support climate resilience.
As part of ongoing reforms, a digital monitoring system for all approved projects under the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust is being introduced and is expected to be operational by December 2025, he said.
The finance adviser also noted that a Multisectoral Action Plan for Sustainable Plastic Management has been formulated to curb plastic waste. In line with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2021, the government has identified 17 products as single-use plastics and initiated steps to control their usage.
Furthermore, the National Award for Tree Plantation Policy (Amendment)-2025and theNational Award Policy for Wildlife Conservation-2025 have been introduced.
Bangladesh’s total forest coverage stands at just 15.58 percent. To address this, Dr Ahmed said the government has reclaimed 1,303 acres of forest land, carried out afforestation, and cancelled the allocation of 720 acres of forest land previously held by various agencies as part of restoration efforts.