More than half (52%) of project professionals are “very confident” that the UK will meet its net zero targets by 2050.
This is compared to just 31% who were asked the question by the Association for Project Management (APM) in 2023, following the previous government’s adjustments to net zero goals, including pushing back the deadline for the sale of new petrol and diesel cars, and the phasing out of gas boilers.
APM’s survey of 1,000 project professionals carried out by research consultants Censuswide, shows that more than half of respondents working in the following sectors say they are confident in the 2050 net zero goals being met. Project professionals are the strategic changemakers who deliver projects that enable sustainability transformations.
The engineering sector was the most confident, at 59%, the transport and logistics sector was 57%, and construction and the automotive sector were 55%.
The main reasons given by respondents for confidence in the 2050 targets being met is action being taken by their company were action from their own businesses (51%), the industrial sector they worked in (49%), and international measures (49%).
Only 4% weren’t confident and only just over a third (37%) of that number said it was because they believed 2050 was an unrealistic target. In 2023, the figure for those saying they weren’t confident was 9%.
The survey also highlights that 45% think their company is currently doing too much to support the 2050 ambitions, compared to 36% who think their company is doing too little.
However, when it comes to skills and the talent pipeline of project professionals, APM found that four in 10 (42%) project professionals strongly agree that there aren’t enough project professionals in the talent pipeline in the UK to sustain the future delivery of net zero projects. When the same question was asked in 2023, just 27% strongly agreed.
Professor Adam Boddison OBE, Chief Executive of APM, said:
“It is positive to see an increased confidence across the project profession in the UK meeting its 2050 net zero ambitions. As the effects of climate change become increasingly apparent, there has been a marked global shift towards the net zero transition, prioritising national plans for the reduction of carbon emissions.
“The project profession, stands at the crossroads of this transition, ensuring complex environmental targets are translated into actionable, efficient, and achievable strategies.
“As highlighted, there are evident concerns over the talent pipeline in sustaining the effective delivery of net zero projects. It is vital that UK business leaders and government address the growing need for qualified project professionals at all levels, and that adequate investment is made through skills development, recruitment and greater engagement in the professionalisation of the profession. Without skilled project leadership, net zero goals risk being delayed, overbudget, or unfulfilled.”
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