"Banking on green gesture?
Within the headquarters of HSBC, the UK's largest bank was announcing that it was to split $100m (£50m) between four environmental groups and charities, chosen for their involvement in addressing some of the global causes and effects of climate change.

The scheme marks a doubling of HSBC's previous $50m environment investment project, Investing in Nature, which ended in 2006 ... However as a percentage of HSBC's 2006 record profits of $22.08bn the sum represents less than 0.5%."

Now, now, don't be so cynical BBC - that's my job.

"After showing a short HSBC-branded film featuring imagined scenes including London under water and the Amazon being transformed into a huge motorway, the bank's chairman Stephen Green said that withdrawing from so-called 'sensitive sectors' - including energy, water, forestry, chemicals or mining, would not be the right thing.

HSBC would remain committed to clients across these sectors, Mr Green said, 'as long as we are confident that they are engaged in a journey towards environmental sustainability'."

Perhaps HSBC could offer preferential rates to business that show a commitment to reducing their carbon footprint?

BBC NEWS | Business | Banking on green gesture?

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