HSBC richly deserves the anger of Earth Day protesters. It can and should do better by the planet

Too bad if you don’t like the tactics. It’s the bank that’s in the wrong here, writes James Moore

An extinction rebellion protester at HSBC (Reuters)

There’s always a danger when people engage in direct action that the subsequent debate focuses on their methods rather than on the issues they seek to raise. 

I don’t propose to do that. Instead of worrying about a few broken windows that HSBC can easily afford to replace, I’m going to look at the reasons why a group of women from Extinction Rebellion and the political party Burning Pink felt that they had to act. 

Like many big businesses, HSBC has made a very big fuss about its newfound commitment to the climate. This includes a “net zero” by 2050 “ambition”. There’s a pretty picture of a forest on the part of the website where it is explained.