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This is where your t-shirt is made, yet it could be one of the most sustainable countries in the world

2021. December 04.

Many would not believe that Bangladesh is already operating in a manner that many developed countries aspire to in the future. However, it has resorted to an unusual method: natural gas that is not at all sustainable due to its extraction.

 

Bangladesh is the eighth most populous country in the world: more than 160 million people live in the South Asian country that once belonged to Pakistan, but its inhabitants carved out an independent territory in the 1970s - after a bloody war of independence.

It was at this time that the Bangladeshi government nationalised the country’s abundant natural gas reserves. But rather than use the gas for consumption in residential homes, the government opted to use it for industrial growth.

This strategy has proven to be successful for two reasons: on the one hand, it has helped Bangladeshi industries to develop dynamically, especially the particularly strong textile industry - almost every European has a piece of clothing in his or her closet made in this distant country; on the other hand, natural gas still remains the most important raw material in Bangladesh's energy industry, as opposed to India, for example, which depends more on coal causing huge adverse environmental impact.

Bangladesh’s dependence on gas is not welcomed by the UN or NGOs advocating traditional green solutions. However, according to Joyashree Roy, a professor of energy and climate at the Asian Institute of Technology, the country's success illustrates why priorities at the international level aren’t always appropriate at the local one. Bangladesh, although still relying on its natural gas reserves, is also thinking about the future: depleted oil and gas wells will be used for geothermal energy production, and the country plans to eventually replace gas with hydrogen.

According to the professor, this requires huge levels of investment, but it will pay off, and their smart energy policy is already working: the state, born amid the ruins of war, is successfully taking up the fight against poverty, life expectancy increased by 70 per cent between 1990 and 2016 – and is now just seven years behind the US average. Meanwhile, the country is also constantly educating its population: Climate awareness and energy efficiency are constantly on the agenda.

It would be a mistake to think that sustainability is a modern-age achievement in Bangladesh. As the country is often hit by dangerous cyclones due to its geographical location, floods are not uncommon and traditional farming practices simply do not work during the monsoon period.

In the poorer southern regions, farmers have been using natural, hydroponic agriculture for centuries: artificial floating islands of plants are created on the surface of the water. They are on average 6 metres long, but can be up to 55 metres long, and their purpose is to provide food for the farmers. This environmentally-friendly practice is also supported by the Bangladeshi government: $ 1.6 million has been spent to make a strategy referred to by locals as ’Baira’ available to 12,000 families.

But the above-mentioned textile industry has also evolved by a huge degree in the past decade: Bangladesh now has the highest number– a total of 150- US Green Building Council certified green apparel factories. in practice, this means not only that green factories don’t harm the environment as much as their less-modern counterparts, but that they are also cheaper to operate, helping to cut energy usage by 40% and water consumption by more than 30%. In addition, the country has 18 national parks, eight of which were established during the past decade.

Of course, we are still a long way away from calling Bangladesh a real model country, as the extent to which fossil fuels have been saved is not enough for that yet. However, according to Joyashree Roy, in less developed nations, fossil fuels cannot be abandoned overnight, the transition should go as fast as it can – and no faster.

 

Cover: Getty Images