As part of HSBC’s ongoing activity to raise awareness on how to combat climate change, the bank’s Climate Champions visited Argotti Botanical Gardens in Floriana for a first-hand lecture on plants that capture carbon, which reduces the impact of carbon dioxide emissions on climate change.

“HSBC is instrumental in bringing about positive change with regard to climate change. Our worldwide network of Climate Champions aims to create a global climate change-related taskforce within HSBC. Together with various charities, and thousands of HSBC employees, HSBC aims to combat the threat of climate change by inspiring action by individuals, businesses, and governments worldwide,” said Martin Scicluna, HSBC Country Coordinator for Climate Change Activities.

HSBC Climate Champions are trained employee volunteers who, through a series of planned and coordinated activities during the year, contribute to HSBC Malta’s Climate Change Programme as an ongoing commitment to the environment in Malta. These individuals have been specially selected to use their business skills and climate change knowledge to build a more sustainable future.

Dr Joseph Buhagiar, lecturer at the Department of Biology, University of Malta, and Director of the Argotti Botanical Gardens, explained how carbon sequestration by plants is one way of reducing the potential disastrous effects of climate change that occurs due to greenhouse gas emissions. The process refers to the ability of plants to absorb carbon and incorporate it into a form that remains an integral part of a plant or tree.

For the past decade, Dr Buhagiar has pursued research to highlight the usefulness of plants in everyday life. For a number of years, he has been involved in plant conservation studies and the impact of climate change on seed germination.

HSBC Climate Champions learned why endemic and indigenous plants are preferred for carbon sequestration although horticultural crop plants should not be excluded. “A good idea would be the use of plants adapted to live in dry environments. Ideally, the plants should be succulents, since these resist drought more efficiently, and woody, since these store more carbon in the form of cellulose and lignin. When selecting plants, one should also look at additional benefits such as their ability to provide food or shelter to other organisms,” said Dr Buhagiar.