Module 1: Perspective
Welcome to Module 1, Perspective. In this Module you’ll have an opportunity to consider your perspective on climate change as a project manager, recognize valuable perspectives that others bring, and consider when and how an interdisciplinary approach can enhance project management for a changing climate.
This Module will help you:
- learn who is in the group, including the skills, backgrounds, knowledge and experience they can share that is relevant to climate change adaptation
- reflect on your motivation for considering climate change in your projects
- understand what’s different about managing projects in a changing climate
Readings and Resources
Foundational Readings
These provide background on climate change impacts and risks. They should be considered essential for those who have not taken the course Introduction to Climate Change with Dr. Stewart Cohen and recommended for others. Focus on Executive Summaries.
Required readings for Module 1 activities – also included in course content
Perspective from UK professional: Climate change and project management: Re-thinking the relationship, Peter W.G. Morris (2017), https://www.apm.org.uk/blog/climate-change-and-project-management-re-thinking-the-relationship/
Perspective from US PM association leader: Thoughts on Climate Change and Project Management, Joel Carboni (2017) https://epress.lib.uts.edu.au/journals/index.php/PMRP/article/view/5462/5854
Perspective from European Financing Institutions: Integrating Climate Change Information and Adaptation in Project Development, Emerging Experience from Practitioners https://www.ebrd.com/what-we-do/get/integrating-climate-change-adaptation-in-project-development.pdf
Perspective: The Resilience of Indigenous Peoples to Environmental Change James D. Ford, Nia King, Eranga K. Galappaththi, Tristan Pearce, Graham McDowell, and Sherilee L. Harper, https://www.cell.com/one-earth/pdfExtended/S2590-3322(20)30250-5
Required for all modules
Other resources with additional perspectives
Low Carbon Resilience: Best Practices For Professionals, Final Report (2018) Adaptation to Climate Change Team, SFU Faculty of Environment. https://act-adapt.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/lcr_best_practices_final.pdf (especially pages 8-16)
Adaptive Management in Climate Change Adaptation, Fact sheet undated, Ontario Centre for Climate Impacts and Adaptation Resources. http://climateontario.ca/doc/factsheets/AdaptiveManagement-final.pdf
Uncertainty, Climate Change, and Adaptive Management, Conservation Ecology, Vol. 1, No. 2 (1997) Garry Peterson, Giulio Alessandro De Leo, Jessica J. Hellmann, Marco A. Janssen, Ann Kinzig, Jay R. Malcolm, Karen L. O’Brien, Shealagh E. Pope, Dale S. Rothman, Elena Shevliakova and Robert R.T. Tinch, https://www.jstor.org/stable/26271660
Adaptive Management and Climate Change Adaptation: Two Mutually Beneficial Areas of Practice (2019) David Marmorek, Marc Nelitz, Jimena Eyzaguirre, Carol Murray, Clint Alexander, Paper No. JAWRA‐18‐0047‐P of the Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA), https://essa.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Marmorek_et_al._in-press.-AM-and-CCA-two-mutually-beneficial-areas-of-practice-.pdf
Latour’s Axioms, a collection of extracts from Bruno Latour (1996) Aramis or the Love of Technology, Harvard University Press assembled by course developers. (Link removed to comply with copyright).
Let’s get started.
In Module 1 you’ll have an opportunity to consider your perspective on climate change as a project manager, recognize valuable perspectives that others bring, and consider when and how an interdisciplinary approach can enhance project management for a changing climate.
This module consists of the following activities:
1.1 Reading and viewing a variety of perspectives on climate change
1.2 Discussion: Exploring what climate change means for you as a project manager
1.3 Synchronous Discussion
1.4 Preparing for future modules by familiarizing yourself with the Smoky River Transit case study
1.1 Reading and viewing a variety of perspectives on climate change
Watch the following videos and read at least two of the following perspectives on project management and climate change.
After viewing the videos and reading the articles/report, reflect on their messages and what they mean for project managers in Canada. How well do you think climate change is being addressed by project managers in Canada?
Video: An Engineering Perspective: Harshan Radhakrishnan, Manager, Climate Change and Sustainability Initiatives Engineers and Geoscientists BC
Video attribution: “An Engineering Perspective: Harshan Radhakrishnan, Manager, Climate Change and Sustainability Initiatives Engineers and Geoscientists BC, Adaptation Learning Network is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Video: A Low Carbon Resilience Perspective: Deborah Harford, Executive Director, ACT, Simon Fraser University
- Perspective from UK professional: Climate change and project management: Re-thinking the relationship, Peter W.G. Morris (2017), https://www.apm.org.uk/blog/climate-change-and-project-management-re-thinking-the-relationship/
- Perspective from US project management association leader: Thoughts on Climate Change and Project Management, Joel Carboni (2017) https://epress.lib.uts.edu.au/journals/index.php/PMRP/article/view/5462/5854
- Perspective from European financing institution: Integrating Climate Change Information and Adaptation in Project Development, Emerging Experience from Practitioners https://www.ebrd.com/what-we-do/get/integrating-climate-change-adaptation-in-project-development.pdf
- Perspective: The Resilience of Indigenous Peoples to Environmental Change James D. Ford, Nia King, Eranga K. Galappaththi, Tristan Pearce, Graham McDowell, and Sherilee L. Harper, https://www.cell.com/one-earth/pdfExtended/S2590-3322(20)30250-5
1.2 Discussion: Climate Change: What does it mean for you as a project manager?
Take a moment to reflect on how climate change will affect your work and projects and post your thoughts to the discussion forum titled “Climate Change: What does it mean for me?”
Try to keep your post brief (100 words). Read and respond to one or two of your colleague’s posts.
Be prepared to join the synchronous session to review the Discussion Forum results and discuss the biggest challenges and opportunities for project managers in a changing climate.
1.3 Synchronous Discussion
In this session, we will discuss the highlights and key learnings from the previous activities. Join the session prepared to discuss:
- How well do you think climate change is being addressed by project managers in Canada?
- What does climate change mean for you as a project manager?
1.4 Introducing Smoky River Transit
In Modules 2 and 3 we will be using the Smoky River Transit case study. You can prepare by:
- Reading the Case Study – Smoky River Transit
- Watching the video interview 1 with Robert Siddall, former CFO of Metrolinx, where we discuss:
- How is climate change going to change project management for large infrastructure projects?
- What skills sets or perspectives are needed?
Video: Robert Siddall, former CFO of Metrolinx