Speakers at a workshop have called for introducing green transport system in Bangladesh in the interest of protection of the environment, mitigation of climate risk and sustainable development.
Emphasising the importance of safe transportation, participants and organisers of the workshop recommended research on green transport, the use of fuel-efficient technology, and capacity building of people and organisations concerned in transportation management.
However, some of the speakers at the workshop called upon the policy makers to pay due attention so that the livelihood of transport workers won’t be uncertain due to changes in technology.
Global Labour University (GLU), Germany and Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP) jointly arranged the workshop on ‘Green Transport System and Just Transition in Bangladesh’ at the conference room of BIP in the capital on Saturday (February 26).
Muhammad Fazle Reza Sumon, president of BIP; presided over the prgramme, while Asad Uddin, fellow and trainer at GLU; delivered the welcome speech.
Sheikh Muhammad Mehedi Hasan, urban resilience specialist and general secretary of BIP; presented the main keynote on ‘Green Transport for Bangladesh: Prospects, Challenges and Way Forward’, while Josinta Zinia, an associate professor and chairperson of Dept of Sociology of BUP; moderated the event. The programme was addressed, among others, by Muqeed Majumdar Babu, chairman of Prokriti O Jibon Foundation; Dr Sheikh Tawhidul Islam, professor and director at Institute of Remote Sensing and GIS of Jahangirnagar University; and Dr SM Morshed, project manager at National Resilience Program of UNDP.
Delegates from various public universities, research institutes, NGOs working in the field of labour and civil rights, urban planning and civil society joined the workshop. Certificates were distributed among them.
In his keynote, Sheikh Mohammad Mehedi Hasan said that 15% of carbon emissions are from the transport sector, most of which are from trucks and buses. He recommended avoiding unnecessary travel, preventing vehicle pollution, using energy-efficient vehicles, and using environment-friendly technology in vehicle manufacturing and maintenance.
He said that issues related to green transport system should be taken into consideration while formulating and approving the road transport project.
The speakers at the workshop said that the concept of green transport would help in building sustainable cities and towns. If the green transport system is introduced in all cities in Bangladesh, including Dhaka, the city dwellers will get the benefits. The main fuel for green transport comes mainly from renewable energy, solar energy or biogas which is environmentally friendly. The green transport will reduce greenhouse gases and help protect the environment and mitigate climate risks, they added.
Mentioning a study report, some speakers said that 15% of air pollution in Dhaka is due to unfit vehicles. Besides, low fossil fuels and traffic jams are also a cause for air pollution in the capital city. Against this backdrop, Dhaka needs green public transport.