The nine-country Climate Confidex Index surveyed 9,000 people across four continents, demonstrating that 60% of Indians were deeply concerned about climate change, compared with 22% in the UK and 26% in Germany.

It is thought to be the first-ever international survey by a global financial institution and the first attempt by a major Western business to cash in on climate change and save the planet in the process. As a result of the survey, HSBC is expected to launch its “green” banking packages in Asia instead of Europe or the US.

India, poised to overtake China as the world’s most-populous nation, would receive easy loans for a diverse basket of eco-friendly commodities like solar panel installation or a biogas cookers. Though HSBC did not specify the size of the Indian ‘green’ market, it was likely to harness all forms of alternative energy, including wind power and waste-into-energy processes.