HSBC, Europe’s largest bank as measured by market value, announced at the end of May that it was pledging $100 million to fund climate change projects. The bank plans to provide money to environmental groups such as the Climate Group, Earthwatch Institute, the World Wide Fund for Nature and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. The money will be used to monitor carbon levels, clean up four of the world’s major rivers and promote environmental awareness in China and India.

Other financial institutions have pledged money to attempt to promote climate issues as well. The top bank in the United States, Citigroup, New York, has pledged $50 billion over a 10-year period for environmental causes. The second-largest U.S. bank, Bank of America, Charlotte, N.C., offered up to $20 billion, JPMorgan Chase & Co. pledged to invest in renewable energy and studying carbon emissions credit trading.