Mamun Kabir
The third Climate Justice Assembly began on 13 December 2025 and is being held this year at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University in the capital. The Assembly was also organized consecutively in 2023 and 2024, and within a short span of time it has established itself as an important and credible platform for the climate justice movement in Bangladesh. This year’s Assembly is not merely a conference; rather, it represents a collective expression of the voices, demands, and resistance of people affected by the impacts of climate change.
The event has brought together climate activists, researchers, policymakers, development practitioners, and—most importantly—representatives of communities directly affected by climate change from both Bangladesh and abroad. Experiences shared by participants from coastal areas, haor regions, the Barind tract, hill tracts, riverine areas, and forest-dependent communities have grounded the Assembly firmly in lived realities. As a result, discussions have gone beyond global policy debates and have highlighted the real-life impacts of environmental destruction on people’s livelihoods and ecosystems.
The Assembly was inaugurated by Sharmeen S. Murshid, Adviser for Social Welfare of the Interim Government. In her remarks, she emphasized that the climate crisis is fundamentally a crisis of justice, noting that those who have contributed least to carbon emissions are bearing the greatest burden of its impacts. The chief guest of the event was Farida Akhter, Adviser for Fisheries and Livestock of the Interim Government. She strongly criticized the prevailing development model and stressed that development achieved through the destruction of nature is neither sustainable nor acceptable, as it ultimately jeopardizes the future of both people and the environment.
The Assembly was attended by climate activists and movement leaders from nearly 14 countries around the world. This international solidarity clearly demonstrates that the climate crisis is not the problem of any single country, but a shared global challenge. However, more important than the number of participants was the purpose of the gathering itself. The core discussions centered on climate justice, the demand for grant-based climate finance instead of loans, the need to end the practice of burdening developing countries with debt, and ensuring a just transition away from fossil fuel dependence toward renewable energy.
On the first day, particular emphasis was placed on the destruction of the environment and biodiversity in Bangladesh in the name of development. Speakers highlighted how agricultural and crop lands, rivers, canals, wetlands, fish and other aquatic biodiversity, as well as mangrove forests, have been continuously degraded and destroyed. A major driver of this destruction, they noted, is the expansion of coal-based and gas-based power plants and their associated infrastructure.
The harmful impacts of coal-fired power plants were discussed in detail during the Assembly. Coal extraction, transportation, and combustion significantly increase carbon emissions, pollute air and water, and pose serious risks to human health. At the same time, participants expressed deep concern about the risks associated with the use of LNG and the environmental consequences of constructing LNG terminals and plants. Although LNG is often promoted as a so-called “clean fuel,” in reality it prolongs fossil fuel dependence and further exacerbates the climate crisis.
Citing examples such as the Rampal, Payra, Patuakhali, and Matarbari coal-fired power plants, speakers warned that these projects pose serious threats to the Sundarbans, coastal regions, and the country’s climate and environment as a whole. The establishment of coal-based power plants near ecologically sensitive mangrove forests like the Sundarbans is having long-term adverse impacts on biodiversity, rivers, and fisheries. Discussions also highlighted how these projects are increasing salinity in coastal areas, degrading agricultural land, and causing the loss of livelihoods for local communities.
Separate sessions focused on the challenges and prospects of various climate-vulnerable regions of Bangladesh, including coastal areas, the Barind region, Cox’s Bazar, the Sundarbans, haor wetlands, Chalan Beel, and the Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary. Local representatives shared firsthand experiences of river erosion, drought, flooding, salinity intrusion, deforestation, and the destruction of fish and wildlife. At the same time, they emphasized that without nature-based solutions led by local communities and a transition toward sustainable agriculture and energy systems, the crisis will only deepen.
Discussions also addressed the challenges of global climate politics in the lead-up to COP-30. Speakers pointed out that despite repeated commitments made at international climate conferences, developed countries continue to evade their responsibilities. Climate finance remains inadequate and is often provided in the form of loans, which clearly contradicts the principles of climate justice.
Overall, the third Climate Justice Assembly 2025 once again demonstrated that the climate crisis is not merely an environmental issue, but a profound social, economic, and moral crisis. The Assembly strongly reaffirmed that moving away from fossil fuel–based development models toward renewable energy, nature conservation, and rights-based policymaking is the only viable path to addressing the climate emergency.
On the second day of the Assembly, 14 December, a comprehensive declaration will be prepared and adopted by the third Climate Justice Assembly, which is considered one of the most significant outcomes of this gathering. This declaration is not merely a formal statement; rather, it represents a collective political and moral document that reflects the lived experiences, demands, and aspirations of climate-affected communities.
The declaration will call for ensuring climate justice; grant-based climate finance instead of loans; an end to the use of fossil fuels and so-called “transition fuels” such as LNG; the cancellation of coal-fired power plants and environmentally destructive projects; a just transition toward renewable energy; the protection of agriculture, rivers, forests, and biodiversity; and the recognition of the rights of affected communities. At the same time, there is an expectation that this declaration will be presented as a strong position paper on behalf of the people of Bangladesh in the context of COP-30 and broader global climate negotiations.
Overall, participants hope that this declaration will influence future movements, policy debates, and state-level decision-making. At a time of escalating climate crisis, the third Climate Justice Assembly has clearly conveyed that any form of development that ignores nature and human rights is unacceptable, and that a just, people-centered pathway is the only sustainable solution forward.
Writer: Mamun Kabir, Environmental Activist
