Climate change awareness program

Standard Chartered Sri Lanka along with people, businesses and iconic buildings across the world switched off their lights at 8.30 p.m. on March 28 for WWF's Earth Hour showing support for a global mandate on climate change.

Earth Hour is a global campaign to raise awareness of carbon emissions and climate change. A billion people are expected to sign up to Earth hour in 2009, and this year's event is the start of WWF's global deal campaign in the lead up to the UN climate summit in Copenhagen in December 2009. Standard Chartered is supporting WWF's movement to convince governments across the world to agree to take effective action to tackle climate change when they meet at the summit in December.

Chief Information Officer of Standard Chartered Bank, Yohaan Dias Abeysinghe says, "We are happy to join people from across the world in WWF's Earth Hour campaign and help raise global awareness for combating climate change.

In our capacity as advisors, lenders, investors and insurers, we recognise the instrumental role that financial institutions play in catalysing the shift to a low carbon economy."

Climate change is one of the most serious threats facing the planet, and demands urgent global action.

Unless action is taken to prevent average global temperatures rising more than 2øC above pre-industrial levels, there is a high risk of severe and irreversible changes in the planet's natural systems, which will be devastating for people, economies and nature.

Standard Chartered is committed to building a sustainable business that continues to be high performing and views all actions in terms of their environmental impact, and economic and social contribution. By signing up to Earth Hour and switching off, Standard Chartered is showing commitment to climate change ahead of the Climate Summit at Copenhagen.

To find out more about Earth Hour and sign up please visit www.earthhour.org.