HSBC Climate Partnership
The HSBC Climate Partnership is a five-year programme on climate change to inspire action by individuals, businesses and governments.
From 2007, the five partners, HSBC, Earthwatch, The Climate Group, The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and WWF, agreed to work together to:
- create cleaner, greener cities in London, New York and Shanghai, which we will promote as models for the world.
- protect some of the world's major rivers and the livelihoods of people who rely on them.
- conduct the largest ever field experiment on the long-term effects of climate change and how it will affect the world's forests.
- create ‘climate champions' worldwide who will undertake research and bring back valuable knowledge and experience to their workplace and communities.
The HSBC Climate Partnership builds upon the Investing in Nature programme, which concluded in 2006.
What is Earthwatch's role in the HSBC Climate Partnership?
Forest Research
Billions of people rely on forests for food, shelter, fuel, clean air, fresh water and recreation. Forests also play a vital role in climate change because trees capture and store carbon - acting as the "lungs" of the planet - and yet they are not well understood by scientists.
Earthwatch is undertaking a five-year global programme of forest research to determine how temperate and tropical forests are being affected by changes in climate and other human-related activities such as logging.
Regional Climate Centres have been set up in China, India, Brazil, USA and UK, where scientists, supported by local community members and HSBC employees, will carry out field work to establish the health of the forests.
Results from this programme will enable forest managers, conservationists, and communities to understand how forests are responding to climate change and how they can better manage them.
Involving People
Earthwatch is working with HSBC to help their employees learn more about climate change, what it means to the business and what they can do to combat it.
A variety of resources and opportunities have been developed to help build employee understanding, including an online programme on climate change with activities and social networking. Employees also have the opportunity to volunteer on environmental projects in their workplace and community to gain practical experience of tackling climate change locally.
During the five-year programme, more than 2,000 employees from across the business will be selected to spend two weeks at a Regional Climate Centre. Here, they will work with scientists and take part in discussion and action planning sessions to further their understanding of climate change. When they return to work, they will develop projects that further HSBC's commitment to sustainability.
This ambitious and innovative programme aims motivate more than 100,000 people to take action.