The carbon bomb we can’t afford

Let’s keep fossil fuels out of Bangladesh for the health and wellbeing of the local communities, the beautiful regional beaches and forests, the Bangladeshi economy, and our shared climate.

In June 2022, Japan announced it won’t fund Matarbari 2. The Bangladesh Government officially cancelled Matarbari 2, announcing plans to build an LNG to power project instead.

Companies like Mitsubishi, JERA, JICA and GE are about to release a carbon bomb in Chattogram that the world and Bangladesh can’t afford, threatening climate, local ecosystems and communities.

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There are close to 20GW of new coal and LNG power planned for the Chattogram region. This buildout would:

Threaten our chances of keeping global warming in check

Spell disaster for the local ecology, waterways, communities and livelihoods

Exacerbate sovereign risk

Community stories

“I used to earn my livelihood through fishing. Now I can’t do it anymore since the coal power plant’s construction began.”

– Nazimuddin, fisherfolk of Kohelia River, Matarbari, Bangladesh

“I’ve learned that after the coal power plant is built, it will emit toxic gases and harm our salt and betel leaf farms.”

– Mohammad Mizan, Saltworker, Maheshkali, Bangladesh

“My house has collapsed due to sand removal for the construction of the Matarbari coal power project.”

– Saleha Begum, Matarbari, Bangladesh

Market Forces worked with five Bangladeshi artists to call on General Electric (GE), to stop pushing new fossil fuel projects in Bangladesh. The Electric Bangladesh: Fossil Free Futures exhibition calls for a safe and secure future, one where lives and livelihoods are not disrupted, and where Bangladeshis have electricity produced from renewable energy like wind power that GE Vernova has the capacity to deliver.

See the art and learn the artists' stories

Help keep fossil fuels out of Chattogram (and the rest of Bangladesh)!

Send a message to GE, Mitsubishi, JERA, JICA and other companies urging them to stop building fossil fuel infrastructure, to protect the livelihoods and health of local communities and our climate, and preserve this region, its beautiful beaches and wildlife.

Take action now

This map shows the projects proposed for the Chattogram region.

A Carbon Catastrophe in the Making: The dirty energy plans in Chattogram, Bangladesh

This report details the fossil fuel buildout in Chattogram. Known throughout Bangladesh for its beautiful beaches and mountainous terrains with deep tropical forests, the Chattogram division of Bangladesh is now at risk of being the location of one of the world’s biggest carbon catastrophes. Plans by companies predominantly from Japan and the United States to massively expand fossil fuels in Bangladesh overwhelmingly focus on the Chattogram division, the location of two-thirds of the proposed new fossil fuel capacity in Bangladesh.

Download the report