The HSBC Water Program
The HSBC Water Program is a five year, $100 million program in partnership with three NGOs which rank amongst the world’s most respected environmental and development organizations.
HSBC employees testing water quality during field research with Earthwatch
Together with Earthwatch, WaterAid and WWF, the Program will deliver a powerful combination of water provision, protection, information and education; resulting in the most ground-breaking water program committed to by a financial organization. The Program will benefit communities in need and enable economies to prosper, driving development and socio-economic growth.
Earthwatch’s contribution to the HSBC Water Program
Earthwatch is setting up projects in over 20 cities worldwide, working with local conservation partners to address their specific water issues. Thousands of HSBC employees and their wider local communities will take part in this global citizen science project, collecting robust scientific data using innovative technology. These data will support, inform and transform policymakers' water resource management plans.
Earthwatch projects for the HSBC Water Program will:
- Support and inform policymakers’ water resource management plans worldwide by creating a robust global citizen science database. This will be populated with data on freshwater quality and quantity, collected by thousands of HSBC employees and wider communities, using innovative technology.
- Involve 7,500 HSBC employees in one-day research programs in over 20 cities worldwide, collecting local data on freshwater quality and biodiversity.
- Engage a further 100,000 HSBC employees in an interactive online network to learn about and take action on monitoring freshwater resources.
Background to the HSBC Water Program
Water is a huge and growing global challenge. It is essential to all human activity and a fundamental driver of all socio-economic growth but, as a resource, it is under strain from population growth, development and climate change.
Water has the tremendous potential to unlock economic growth as well as changing the lives of individuals and transforming the livelihoods of communities. The HSBC Water Program will move all the main levers of the global water challenge by: improving water resource management in key river basins; bringing safe water and sanitation to millions of people; and raising awareness about the global water challenge.
That is why we will share the findings from our HSBC Water Program and research with policymakers, NGOs and businesses worldwide, so we can play our part in tackling one of the greatest challenges of our time.
The global water challenge
Under strain of demographic growth, development and climate change water is a huge and growing global challenge:
- Nearly 800 million people are without access to safe water.
- 2.5 billion people are living without access to basic sanitation.
- A quarter of the world’s population live in eco-systems that are under threat from water scarcity and are being damaged by poor water resource management.
- It is estimated that 90% of all population growth by 2050 will occur in regions where water is scarce and where there is currently no sustainable access to water.
For more information, visit the HSBC Water Program website.
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