Climate & Biodiversity Emergency
UK Project Managers Declare Climate & Biodiversity Emergency
The crises of climate breakdown and biodiversity loss are two of the most serious issues of our time. Projects and change programmes play a major part – for example buildings and infrastructure account for approximately half of energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, whilst also having a significant impact on our natural habitats.
For everyone working on projects and programmes – be they infrastructure and construction, transformation and service delivery, defence capability, or information and communications technology – meeting the needs of our society without breaching the Earth’s ecological boundaries will demand a paradigm shift in our behaviour.
Together with our clients, suppliers, and stakeholders, we need to plan, design, and deliver project outcomes as indivisible components of a larger, constantly regenerating and self-sustaining system in balance with the natural world. The research and technology exist for us to begin that transformation now, but what has been lacking is the collective will.
Recognising this, we at DEVEREAUX KELLY ASSOCIATES are committing to strengthen our working practices to create project outcomes that have more positive impact on the world around us.
We will strive to:
- Raise awareness of the climate and biodiversity emergencies and the urgent need for action amongst our clients, collaborators, and supply chains across our projects.
- Advocate for faster change in our industry towards regenerative project practices and a higher Governmental funding priority to support this.
- Establish principles to mitigate climate and biodiversity impacts as a key measure of project success. Recognise outstanding performance through awards, prizes and listings.
- Share knowledge, research, and experience on an open source basis.
- Evaluate all new projects against the aspiration to contribute positively to mitigating climate breakdown, and encourage our clients to adopt this approach across the entire project lifecycle.
- Upgrade existing assets for extended use as a more-carbon-efficient alternative to demolition and replacement when that is the most efficient solution for whole life carbon.
- Include life cycle costing, whole life carbon modelling, post project evaluation, and benefits realisation as part of the basic scope of projects, to reduce both embodied and operational resource use.
- Adopt more regenerative project principles in practice, with the aim of providing project outcomes that achieve the standard of net zero carbon.
- Collaborate with clients, designers, contractors and other project stakeholders to further reduce waste during construction and operation.
- Accelerate the shift to low embodied carbon materials in all our work.
- Minimise wasteful use of resources in our projects, both in quantum and in detail.
We hope that every organisation managing projects or teaching project managers in the UK will join us in making this commitment.
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