A survey of 1,000 members of the Association for Project Management (APM) has found that 52% of project professionals are 鈥榲ery confident鈥� that the UK will meet its net zero targets by 2050.
This is compared to just 31% who were asked the same question by APM back in 2023 鈥� following the UK government鈥檚 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.
Only 4% said that they were not confident and 44% said they were 鈥榮omewhat鈥� confident.
Optimism among APM members is in stark contracts to views expressed by both former Labour prime minister Tony Blair and current Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch. Blair said last week that current net zero strategies were 鈥渄oomed to fail鈥�, while Badenoch has described reaching net zero by 2025 as 鈥渋mpossible鈥�.
Reform, currently the UK鈥檚 most popular political party according to polls, has vowed to scrap net zero targets should it form the next government.
础笔惭鈥檚 survey of 1,000 project professionals carried out by research consultants Censuswide showed that 55% of project managers working in construction were confident in the 2050 net zero goals being met, as were 559% in engineering, 55% in automotive and 57% in transport & logistics.
The main reasons given by respondents for their confidence were:聽
- action being taken by their company (51% of respondents)
- action taken by their industry sector (49%)
- international measures being taken (49%).
APM chief executive Adam Boddison said: 鈥淚t 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.鈥�
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