The University of Dhaka (DU) and Stockholm University of Sweden, in cooperation with the Clean Air Fund, jointly organized a high-level Science-Policy Dialogue on Black Carbon and other Short Lived Climate Pollutants (SLCP) today 1 November 2026 at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel. DU Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic) Prof. Dr. Abdus Salam presided over the program.

State Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shaikh Faridul Islam addressed the inaugural session as the chief guest while Advisor to the Prime Minister, and spokesperson of the PM Office Dr. Mahdi Amin, Principal Coordinator (SDG Affairs) at the Prime Minister's Office Prof. Dr. S M Abdul Awal, Ambassador of Sweden to Bangladesh Nicolas Weeks and Prof. Orjan Gustafsson of Stockholm University addressed it as special guests.

State Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shaikh Faridul Islam said, the government will generate 4,000 megawatts (MW) of solar power within the next three months. Of this, 296 MW will be generated from Dhaka city alone. The initial target is to generate 10,000 MW of solar power, the State Minister also said. The capacity for solar energy will be increased in phases, aiming to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and ensure a transition toward clean, green energy, he further said.

            The current administration inherited a significant amount of "dirty energy" infrastructure—such as coal-fired power plants—from the previous government. These facilities burn approximately 12,000 metric tons of coal daily, which gives an indication of the massive volume of black carbon being emitted, he mentioned.

Addressing government action against brick kilns, the State Minister mentioned that these kilns are responsible for about 13 percent of the total air pollution, as they often utilize high-sulfur coal. Furthermore, the government is shutting down 200 wood-burning kilns across the country and replacing them with concrete block production facilities to curb pollution. This transition will eliminate smoke emissions, leaving only minimal noise pollution. By adopting the production of these concrete blocks, we can effectively work toward making our air free from pollution, he pointed out.

Advisor to the Prime Minister on Education Affairs Dr. Mahdi Amin said, the government is placing emphasis on renewable energy to address the ongoing energy crisis. Past policies have left the energy sector vulnerable, he mentioned. "To overcome this situation, we aim to diversify our energy sources. The government is prioritizing renewable energy, with a particular focus on solar power. Additionally, projects for generating energy from waste are currently underway", he added.

"One of our primary objectives is to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and promote the use of eco-friendly vehicles. Consequently, new initiatives are placing a strong emphasis on electric vehicles", he further added.

Referring to the historic canal-digging program initiated by the Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman and the introduction of eco-friendly vehicles like CNG-powered transport during Begum Khaleda Zia’s tenure, Mahadi Amin highlighted that the BNP possesses a rich history and tradition of formulating effective policies to enhance climate resilience. Furthermore, the BNP government had taken steps to ban plastic and polythene, while promoting jute-based and environmentally friendly products.

He also mentioned that during its previous terms, the BNP government organized nationwide tree-planting campaigns and tree fairs on a weekly, monthly, and annual basis. "In the current context, we aim to revive and further develop that culture," he said.

"We all aspire to build a Bangladesh where nature is not destroyed in the name of development, but rather preserved. We intend to undertake projects and development initiatives that prioritize environmental conservation", he pointed out. This is because we must ensure a balance between life, nature, and the environment for the future generations of Bangladesh. We envision a Bangladesh where future generations can breathe clean, fresh air. To achieve this, we must prioritize eco-friendly initiatives as part of our comprehensive, multi-faceted planning, he also said.

Referring to the BNP’s election manifesto, he stated that the party intends to construct reservoirs through master plans for the Padma and Teesta barrages. This would help maintain the natural flow of water and facilitate better management of water resources.

Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic) Prof. Dr. Abdus Salam said, black carbon is a very tiny particles floating in the atmosphere and it's produced or generated from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels that means diesel octane petrol biomass and they burn And there is not sufficient foil for burning them then produce black carbon. And if black carbon has optical properties. So it absorbs solar radiation and heated surface.

He stated that, we have a success history during previous BNP government's times they benzene and that reduced the black carbon fuse in the atmosphere at that time we measure black carbon in the atmosphere it was like 40 microgram per meter cube, but nowadays we measure continuously it's like 6 to 12 micro g per meter cube, but if we compare with other developing countries developed countries it's like.1 2.5 micro g per meter cube, still we are like 25 to 50 times higher but we reduced a lot we need strong step to reduce black carbon.

So we found for the production of black carbon um equally responsible both fossil fuel and also basing. Black carbon not only from fossil fuel burning in Dhaka especially biomass burning also significantly contribute to black carbon emission. Transplantary pollution is also another important contributor for the air pollution in Bangladesh and there are many other sources that contribute to the air pollution, he added.

We need to strongly policy implementation, clean transportation and household and bonding. We have to work on the industrial and construction management and regional cooperation and also monitoring for the long transport. Our recommendation is enforce emission standard for vehicle and industry promote clean energy and public transportation regulate construction and promote green infrastructure and increase funding and institutional capacity for air quality management and regional collaboration for trans boundary pollution, he said.

Ambassador of Sweden to Bangladesh Nicolas Weeks said, Sweden's new 5-year development cooperation strategy with Bangladesh places significant emphas is on the green transition, climate resilience and environmentally sustainable growth. The strategy reflects a conviction that economic development and environmental sustainability should advance together rather than in separate tracks. This is significant potential for future cooperation between our two countries. He stressed the need for strengthening joint collaborative scientific research and stronger partnerships tend to produce better ideas and ultimately better outcomes. He looked forward to deepening that cooperation in the years ahead.

01/11/2026

(Md. Rafiqul Islam)

Director

Public Relations Office

University of Dhaka