A record-breaking Tk 51,746 crore budget allocation for climate-relevant interventions, marking a 26 percent surge from the previous fiscal year, seems like an unmitigated triumph for a nation on the frontlines of environmental precarity, until one looks closely at where the money actually goes.

The climate budget proposed for FY2026-2027 seems good on paper but, at the same time, confusing, and has missed some obvious opportunities.

For Bangladesh, climate change is no longer merely an environmental concern. It is increasingly a development, economic, and governance challenge.

Finance Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali has proposed to set aside a special allocation of Tk 100 crore for climate change and environmental protection in the national budget for the fiscal year 2024-25

The current climate budgeting process should be reformed by engaging private sector, recommended Fahmida Khatun, executive director of CPD, at a seminar yesterday.