A human chain was held at 10 am on February 17, 2025, in front of Ashwini Kumar Town Hall in Barishal, jointly organized by PRANTOJON, Coastal Livelihood and Environment Action Network (CLEAN), and Bangladesh Working Group on Ecology and Development (BWGED), demanding the closure of LNG (liquefied natural gas) imports, expansion of renewable energy, and policy reforms. People from various walks of life in Barishal City participated in the human chain. Environmentalists, students, social workers, and conscious citizens took part and chanted slogans like, “LNG is a deadly weapon responsible for climate change, renewable energy is our future!”

At the human chain, Mr. Shubhankar Chakraborty, a member of the Barishal Environment and Development Forum, said that the dangerous impact of fossil fuels on the environment and people of Bangladesh can no longer be tolerated in any way. He said that LNG is not a sustainable fuel, but a deadly weapon for Bangladesh. The expansion of LNG must be stopped. It is not helping to address the climate crisis but is rather pushing the people of Bangladesh towards terrible economic and environmental damage.

Mr. Advocate Shubhash Dutta, Member Secretary of the Environment and Development Forum, said, “Importing LNG is a suicidal decision. It is not only making the lives of the people difficult by increasing the cost of electricity, but its impact on the environment is also extremely harmful. He further said that burning LNG emits huge amounts of carbon dioxide and methane gas, which accelerates global warming and deepens the climate crisis.

Mr. Khorshed Alam, Executive Director of Arohi, said that Bangladesh has a huge potential for renewable energy, and its use is also much less expensive. Sustainable electricity generation is possible by using solar power in different regions of the country, which is much more environmentally friendly and cost-effective than LNG or fossil fuels.

Mr. Tauhedul Islam Shahazada, Executive Director of Prantajon, said that we have to work together to develop the country and protect the environment. The government is very sincere about the interests of big businessmen but indifferent about the common people. He said, “Bangladesh has to be turned into an environmentally friendly energy country by stopping LNG imports and reducing dependence on fossil fuels. Renewable energy policy needs to be reformed. The time has come for everyone to come forward to expand environmentally friendly fuel. Building a safe, affordable, and environmentally friendly energy in Bangladesh for our future generation is the demand of the time. We have to build a sustainable and environmentally friendly energy future for our country.”

Mr. Akhtarul Kabir, a member of the Environment and Development Forum, said that people in the coastal areas of Bangladesh, including Barishal, are the most affected by climate change. Due to floods, river erosion, and extreme weather, agriculture, livelihoods, and lives here are under threat. He said that instead of giving huge amounts of capacity charge to fossil fuels every year, that money should be spent on renewable energy. Because if we want to protect our future, we have to move towards renewable energy now.

This human chain and campaign will serve as an important step to attract public attention and raise awareness about the use of environmentally friendly energy not only in Barishal but also elsewhere in the country. The organizations said that this movement will be expanded on a larger scale for the expansion of renewable energy.