On 22 April, we celebrated the 52nd “World Earth Day”. The theme for Earth Day this year was ‘Invest in Our Planet’ which makes us think about the choices we make to make our planet a better place to live for all.
Bangladesh is a small country with a huge population. Being a resource constraint country we have a scarcity of natural resources, yet our economic growth has been quite impressive. Moreover, the economic growth vision of our country requires more natural resources, especially energy where we have an acute deficit.
Natural resources are a key input to the manufacturing-based industries that stimulate economic growth. Particularly from the context of the RMG industry, energy will be one of the most crucial factors for our sustenance, since we are prioritizing more investments in textile sectors which is energy-intensive.
Over the past decade, our government has taken a number of steps to improve energy production and supply situation. Already our installed electricity generation capacity has exceeded 25500MW, imported LNG added to the grid, and more mega-projects are underway. Yet we have challenges. The fuel market globally is in a volatile situation at this moment significantly caused by the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The war has further disrupted supply and price. While our government tries to cope up with the situation, we do also have to be more strategic and responsive from our own position. We have a big role to play to ensure the optimum use of energy.
Moreover, in the contemporary business world, profit itself cannot ensure sustainability, rather being responsible toward people, the environment and the planet requires more attention. Climate action has become a key area of global concern and influencing consumers’ behavior significantly. Net-zero economy is not merely a buzzword, it is the future we all should pursue. So being energy inefficient is not only making us less competitive, it has an adverse impact on the environment which is not appreciated by buyers too.
So, the reason I am making all these points is to make an appeal before you to take a more robust approach with regard to energy usage and energy efficiency. In our daily life we quite often misuse energy, subconsciously. By adopting some simple practices ourselves and at our workplaces, we can make a huge difference in saving consumption. For example, if we can strictly adopt in-house policies to turn the switches off of lights/ fans after use, and if we keep the air conditioner at 25 degree Celsius temperature, this will save energy.
Besides, automation of electrical installations would yield tangible savings. The use of daylights, daylight simulation tools, sensor-based lights, inverter enabled machines, and using energy star rated appliances are some low-cost yet effective ways to reduce energy consumption significantly.
The future of the planet Earth depends on how we act. If we don’t pay much attention to these issues, our future generation will inherit a vulnerable plant. On the other hand, if we can start good practices, it will help develop culture, save money and resources, reduce GHG emissions, and if we can adopt such practices at the enterprise level we will be compatible with buyers’ sourcing policy.
So let’s start saving energy, let’s good practices at home and workplace, and let’s inspire others.
