HSBC pressured to sack banker who discredited climate crisis warnings

Speech by head of responsible investing Stuart Kirk dismissed global heating and joked about flooding risks

HSBC is under pressure to fire a senior banker in charge of responsible investing after a speech in which he described warnings about the climate crisis as unsubstantiated" and shrill", made light of major flooding risks, and complained about having to spend time looking at something that's going to happen in 20 or 30 years".

The bank has since been forced to denounce comments made by Stuart Kirk at a London conference on Thursday, after he gave a speech entitled why investors need not worry about climate risk", which appeared to discredit efforts to raise the alarm over global heating.