Data: climate change

FACING THE CLIMATE CHALLENGE

New APM research reveals the urgency felt among younger project managers

With the impact of the pandemic, some otherwise critical issues have slipped temporarily from the top of the profession’s priority list. Climate change is one of those concerns. Yet, as the world begins to recover from the pandemic, many in the project field are seeing a chance to press the reset button, according to APM’s report Future Trends: Facing the Climate Challenge, which builds on the findings of its latest Salary and Market Trends Survey.

That survey suggested that project professionals are seeing the drive to reduce carbon as key to shaping the post-pandemic world: 55 per cent of respondents said their organisation now has a strategy for reaching net zero. Indeed, one key learning from the pandemic is that it really does pay to be prepared. As such, the focus on climate change is likely to see a major tick upwards this year.

It appears this focus would be welcome among project professionals

Climate campaigner Greta Thunberg is a likely influence on entrants to the profession

– and notably more so among younger practitioners. Nearly half (49 per cent) of 18- to 24-year-olds and 44 per cent of 25- to 34-year-olds rate it as significant – compared to just 36 per cent of those aged 55–64.

The ‘Greta’ e ect

This trend may be because climate issues have been mainstream news for a greater proportion of young professionals’ lives, plus the fact they’ll also have to spend more of their lives dealing with the consequences. They may also be more likely to be influenced by campaigner Greta Thunberg.

Female professionals seem more likely to recognise the climate challenge than their male peers. Just over half (55 per cent) of women aged 18–24 consider it significant. In terms of sectors, it’s among project professionals in two very different areas where concern about climate change is greatest: construction and energy (54 per cent); and the arts (53 per cent).

A unique position

It’s now consensus that the world has entered the decisive decade for efforts to achieve net zero if we’re to stand any chance of averting a global climate catastrophe. Yet this requires working out how best to coordinate the rapid delivery of projects and programmes that will contribute to climate goals. It means finding the most effective way to connect governments, industry and other agents of delivery. And the targets required by the climate change challenge demand a hugely ambitious approach to building the capacity to deliver the change.

The latest APM salary survey suggested that several key issues were blocking the project profession’s progress on climate issues, including competing priorities (36 per cent of respondents), financial and investment restrictions (33 per cent), and a lack of knowledge and awareness (27 per cent).

It’s clear, then, that the project profession will have its work cut out in the next decade – yet it is in a unique position to make a critical contribution to the climate fight. ODownload Future Trends: Facing the Climate Challenge at apm.org.uk

ARE PROJECT PROFESSIONALS PRIMED FOR THE BATTLE?

The climate challenge requires the working world to adopt a greater focus on project skills, not just the STEM skills typically associated with low-carbon projects. But it seems project practitioners aren’t necessarily feeling fit to drive the change. Just eight per cent of APM’s survey respondents said they consider themselves ‘to a large extent’ equipped to tackle net zero challenges in their projects, with 28 per cent equipped ‘to some extent’. Eighteen per cent consider themselves ‘not at all’ ready.

Confidence is highest among those working in organisations with a net-zero strategy. Here, 51 per cent felt well equipped, compared with just 17 per cent in those sectors that lacked such a strategy.

While the findings highlight the value in organisations taking a strong, proactive stance on climate change, they also point to the power of professional development in a world where project delivery is becoming evermore complex: those who have achieved Chartered Project Professional status were markedly more confident (56 per cent) than their nonchartered counterparts (35 per cent).