On the eve of the Earth Day, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Union ministry of science and technology and the ministry of earth sciences and the HSBC to create awareness on the issue of climate change among industries, corporate houses and various stakeholders. This initiative, the Earth Science Forum, will help in creating awareness about the issue through participation by scientists working on the issue, non governmental organisations, academia, citizen forums and representatives from industries and concerned government agencies. Speaking on the occasion, Union minister for science and technology and earth sciences Kapil Sibal said that concerted efforts and collective corporate action is an opportunity to bring down the effects of global warming.