COVID-19 Prompts Shift to Net Zero Projects

The majority of project professionals have said they have increased their focus to Net Zero carbon projects due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Association for Project Management (APM) has revealed.

A recent poll of over 860 project practitioners, which was undertaken for APM by research company, Censuswide, showed that 51% of those who took part claimed the global pandemic led them, and the organisations the work with, placing a ‘slightly greater’ or significantly greater’ emphasis on Net Zero.

Only six per cent said that they were placing less of a focus on Net Zero carbon projects as a result of Coronavirus, with the remainder saying there wasn’t a difference to their Net Zero focus.

The industry sectors that reported the greatest increase in focus on Net Zero were:

• HR (89 per cent of respondents reported a greater focus on Net-Zero carbon projects)
• Telecoms (69 per cent)
• Transport and logistics (69 per cent)

The reduction of the environmental impact of projects has been a long term ail of those who are responsible for planning and delivery, however, there has been an increase in the emphasis on making projects carbon neutral – and even carbon negative – since the UK Government announced in June 2019 their target for Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Debbie Lewis, director of strategic architecture programmes at BT, said: “Achieving Net Zero remains high on the agenda for project managers, despite the impact caused by the global pandemic. Climate change will continue to worsen and accelerate, and so it’s vital that it continues to be addressed and tackled. The project profession has a major role to play in helping to achieve a sustainable Net Zero future.”

APM is supporting the project profession to minimise the environmental impact of projects and help them adapt to the future climate. It has itself made a commitment to become a carbon-neutral organisation by 2050, if not sooner, and to take action around the following objectives:

1. Raising awareness and encouraging debate about the consequences of climate change and how individuals and organisations can make a difference now and in the future
2. Guiding, advocating and promoting the need for investment in climate change adaptation, mitigation and sustainable development by working in collaboration with public bodies, professional bodies and other stakeholders
3. Encouraging, identifying and celebrating good practice within the project profession that responds to the climate change challenge
4. Sharing and disseminating knowledge and research to encourage the take up of project innovations which are responsive to climate change and sustainability challenges
5. Promoting education, training and professional development opportunities to help APM members gain the knowledge and skills to respond effectively to climate change.

6. David Thomson, head of external affairs at APM, said: “We recognise that climate change is one of the great challenges of this or any generation. This survey demonstrates that the project profession is not being deflected by the current pandemic to postpone action or ignore the coming challenges of climate change and biodiversity. Addressing that will require big changes across all sectors and will be a significant factor in every project professional’s work in the years ahead.

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