HSBC
About the HSBC Climate Partnership
The HSBC Climate Partnership is a groundbreaking, five-year partnership between HSBC, WWF, Earthwatch Institute, The Climate Group and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. HSBC's US $100 million investment aims to combat the urgent threat of climate change by inspiring action by individuals, businesses and governments worldwide.
Working with these partners, and engaging its 312,000 staff members, HSBC hopes to counter climate change impacts for people, water, forests and cities. The programme has significant targets including;
- Helping to protect some of the worlds major rivers - the Amazon, Ganges, Yangtze and Thames - from the impacts of climate change, benefiting the 450 million people who rely on them;
- Make some of the worlds greatest cities - Hong Kong, London, Mumbai, New York and Shanghai - cleaner and greener, which the partners will promote as models for the world;
- Create 'climate champions' worldwide who will undertake field research and bring back valuable knowledge and experience to their communities; and
- Conduct the largest field experiment on the world's forests to measure carbon and the effects of climate change.
The HSBC Climate Partnership builds upon Investing in Nature, the Group's previous five-year initiative which concluded in 2006, which made significant progress towards rejuvinating some of the world's key rivers and wetlands. Globally, an area of 2.2 million hectares of land was managed, protected or restored through WWF’s Investing in Nature freshwater programme.
How is WWF making a difference under the HSBC Climate Partnership?
We live in a blue planet with what seems to be a never ended supply of water, but only 3% of that water is freshwater. This tiny amount of water supports the needs of the entire world population – from farming and food through to clothing and consumption.
In addition the demand from people, the world’s water supply is increasingly being impacted by our changing climate.
As part of the HSBC Climate Partnership, WWF is leading a global initiative focused on reducing the impacts of climate change on people and livelihoods by promoting action in some of the world’s major cities and river basins, including the Amazon, Ganges, Thames and Yangtze.
Watch this video to see some of the partnership’s successes so far.
Through WWF’s work in the UK, China, Brazil and India we are aiming to benefit 25% of the world’s available freshwater and 450 million people by:
- Leading a ratification of a UN Convention to improve the management of 263 shared rivers covering half the Earth's land surface, holding 60% of the world’s river water, reducing the impact of climate change and so benefiting water security for 40% of the world's population
- Improving water quality of rivers to support the local communities that rely on them and to protect the unique ecosystems which they support
- Educating people about the importance of water and energy efficiency, to raise awareness of 50 million people around the world and provide them with practical solutions to make a difference.
- Urging farmers to adopt WWF models of how to harvest wetlands more sustainably, which reduces pollution, significantly increase their income and benefits wildlife
- Developing energy efficiency and CO2 reduction strategies for China, Brazil and India to demonstrate how economic growth can still be maintained whilst also reducing greenhouse gases
You can:
Find out more about WWF’s work in the UK as part of the HSBC Climate Partnership
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In looking for ways to enhance HSBC’s environmental engagement we chose to partner with WWF, whom we have found to be an excellent organization who delivers value to us as a business as well as to the world’s ecosystems on which millions of people and communities rely,
Nigel Pate, Senior Manager, HSBC in the Community