Our statement on climate change

In 2019, the UK Parliament declared an environment and climate change emergency. In response, Association for Project Management (APM), the chartered body for the project profession, has agreed that there is an urgent need for coordinated action by project professionals across all sectors to address and minimise the impacts of both the climate change and biodiversity emergencies. APM also supports the objective that projects of every size and purpose minimise their environmental impact and can adapt to the future climate.

As the chartered body for the project profession, APM will develop an action plan based around these five objectives:

1. Raise awareness and encourage debate about the consequences of climate change and how individuals and organisations can make a difference now and in the future.
2. Guide, advocate and promote the need for investment in climate change adaptation, mitigation and sustainable development. We will do this by working in collaboration with public bodies, professional bodies and other stakeholders as well as our corporate partners and individual members.
3. Encourage, identify and celebrate good practice within the project profession that responds to the climate change challenge.
4. Share and disseminate knowledge and research to encourage the take up of project innovations which are responsive to climate change and sustainability challenges.
5. Promote education, training and professional development opportunities to help members gain the knowledge and skills to respond effectively to climate change.

Amid rising public concern, the UK government has set in law a target to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 (or sooner, as in Scotland). APM makes a commitment to be a carbon-neutral organisation consistent with the UK government’s own target date, if not sooner.

Much work has already gone on to improve our carbon footprint, including looking at our events programme and publications to reduce single use plastic and paper usage. We will report on our progress annually. We are seeking an external review of progress with a reputable body which can make practical and realistic suggestions relevant to a body of APM’s size and circumstances.

The APM Projecting the Future group, chaired by Tim Banfield, will continue to have climate change as one of its central themes. The group will review other ways in which it can promote and debate this issue (in addition to the existing challenge paper already published) within and beyond the profession.

The APM Board will include the implications of climate change on its future strategy and seek to minimise impact.

We recognise that climate change is one of the great challenges of this or any generation. Addressing that will require big changes across the economy, in every major sector. It will be a significant factor in every project professionals’ work in the years ahead.