Project management skills and the climate crisis

Recent years have seen unprecedented recognition of the dangers of climate change, and the need for clean growth and sustainability. The climate emergency is on almost everyone’s radar. With Extinction Rebellion, mass protests, school strikes, and warnings from the Bank of England are all demanding that our governments take action now. Today, organizations across the globe are supporting the fight for climate justice, proactivly encouraging staff to participate and declaring a climate emergency. Everyone needs to be a climate activist now.

The UK has set itself an ambitious target for reducing its carbon footprint to net zero by 2050. It plans to achieve this by encouraging people to use less energy and transport fewer vehicles. The country needs to encourage businesses to cut their pollution too.

Collaboration on projects

Collaborating with others is important when planning projects of any size and complexity. The main project management organizations should collaborate with the wider project management community to create a roadmap to achieving Net Zero. I hope that in the UK, the Association for Project Management (APM) and in the USA, the PMI (Project Management Institute) can work more effectively together to establish best practices for project management that can help guide and support project managers meet the global challenges of the climate emergency.

Professional project management bodies

Professional project management bodies across the UK are calling for action to tackle climate change. They're urging members to take part in an initiative aimed at helping them achieve their own personal carbon reduction targets.

Acknowledging the urgency of the climate crisis is an important step towards taking practical steps to address it. Now there are some guidelines for doing so.

Tackling the global crisis to save our planet for future generations is also a commercial necessity. In the coming years, attaining zero emissions will impact all markets. Spending will partly come from governments, but mainly because of private sector along with its reorientation of investment.

Transformation in industry

There are currently some big changes occurring within the energy, pensions and banking industries. New policies and regulations are pushing a transformation in practices and will shape client requirements, investor demands and project requirements. The expectations of society towards businesses are also shifting. This is resulting in a switch in strategy from not only generating profits but also to producing benefits for both companies and society.

Projects to meet Net Zero target

The UK is expecting to spend £1 trillion between now and 2050 to reach its zero emissions target. To help understand the scope and complexity of this, imagine the UK building 17 HS2 projects at the same time. The key difference is that this target requires a broad range of projects, including energy, water, transportation, housing, food, air quality, and industrial processes. So many new projects will require many new project managers, with the skills to manage projects successfully.

Project management profession and the climate challenge

Already the project management profession has had a major impact across thousands of current and planned climate-related projects. In organizations, project management offices (PMOs), project managers, and project team members, are right at the forefront of the climate battle. This includes shaping policies; designing programme and project plans; planning more environmentally friendly buildings; delivering future proof transportation and power infrastructure projects; managing changes of vehicle fleets to meet zero emissions; through to demonstration projects to prove it's safe and easy to switch from methane heaters to fuel cells.

A good source to find out more about the work needed to achieve Net Zero Emmissions, it is worth reading the Committee on Climate Changes' Net Zero Technical Report. As Greta Thunburg states, "We already have all the facts, and solutions, all we need to do is to awake and change."

We've known for years what needs to be done, but taking the initial step and commitments necessary to solve an existential global problem can feel overwhelming.

Project managers can lead climate projects

This is where project managers can really lead climate projects. Project managers can communicate a clear vision and project plans capturing the tangible actions needed. Project managers need to develop new services, and use data and digital technologies to find innovative solutions to increasingly complex problems. This will challenge project managers both intellectually and creatively, but also will offer opportunities to grow their skill sets and result in work that is not only challenging, but also socially useful.

If you want to read further about this topic, check out the report from the Carbon Capture Coalition (CCC). It has lots of good information.