HSBC, WWF take joint action against climate change
Tuesday, 06 April 2010
HSBC Bank in Vietnam
and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) jointly organised various field trips
for the bank’s staff to the Mekong delta
region in March to see with their own eyes climate change impacts on people’s
life.
The field trips, followed by a series of climate change
workshops in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City , are part of the “Climate
Camp -- HSBC and WWF take action on Climate Change Programme”.
The programme was kicked off in January in order to raise HSBC’s employees
awareness about climate change impacts and environmental protection.
On March 19, the participants joined an in-depth workshop lectured by WWF
specialists on climate change and its impacts on Vietnam
, especially the Mekong delta region.
They also studied the measures that are taken by local authorities in
responding to the phenomenon and drew out personnal lessons on what they can do
to help reduce climate change.
From March 20-21, a 50-strong delegation of the bank went a field trip to Ben
Tre and Dong Thap – the two most vulnerable provinces to practise the knowledge
and skills they just learned from the workshop as well as gain new knowledge of
the region’s ecological systems and local measures.
They also visited some WWF’s projects such as a clam farm, the Rang Dong aquaculture
cooperative, and a model of raising tra fish in brackish water in order to
learn production methods that are sustainable and environmentally friendly.
They planted more than 300 mangrove trees in Binh Dai district and visited the TramChimNational Park .
On March 22, the participants got together in a dialogue to discuss and outline
action plans against climate change based on the information and knowledge they
received during the training and field trips.
Their plans will be submitted to the HSBC’s Committee for Sustainable
Development for consideration of funding provision.
According to Trine Glue Doan, WWF Vietnam Governance and Climate Change
Advisor, climate change impacts have already been felt in the Mekong
delta region and they are estimated to become more serious in the next decade.
Despite the presence of climate change reduction measures, knowing how to adapt
to the phenomenon is necessary, she said, adding that “Climate Camp” is a great
opportunity to educate and engage the entire HSBC workforce in learning about
climate change and empower them to respond to it./.
