Introduction
The world is progressively being charged with resolving very difficult policy problems, which are particularly the problems of climate change and human health. Working out or handling these universal problems successfully demands a re-evaluation of some of the conventional techniques currently being employed.
Fruitful handling of the issue of climate change and human health needs an extensive acknowledgment and apprehension especially from governments and other private agencies; there are no immediate reparations and effortless solutions to this problem. Climate change is a critical and extremely intricate policy issue concerning numerous causal aspects and high stages of disagreement on the problem and the finest approach to deal with it (Stott & Godlee, 2006).
However, project management techniques can provide experts and stakeholders concerned with the required technical knowledge in the development of long lasting solutions on climate change and improvement on human health. This paper examines why, where, and how project management fits in handling issues of climate management and human health.
Importance of project management
In the recent past, many programs and projects have been established to address issues of climate change and human health, but have been unsuccessful. One of the main reasons for failure of climate change programs is lack of successful policy evaluation and development skills from competent project managers.
Project management can provide useful techniques in program planning, development and appraisal. Project management ensures that there is an expansion of human understanding on the impacts of climate change to human health and the appropriate strategies to tackle these issues (Heagney, 2011). Climate change and human health have become increasingly unpredictable even to experts; project management skills are essential in coming up with effective programs and techniques to handle them.
Additionally, addressing issues related to climate change such as ozone concentrations and air quality management is a very expensive undertaking. Project management techniques are thus necessary to regulate spending, improve budget, and ensure that quality of the programs is not compromised.
Project managers also ensure that human health programs are effectively controlled through effective leadership and team building. The World Health Organization has established many successful climate and health control programs through implementing project management skills during initiation, development, implementation, and control of these programs (Stott & Godlee, 2006).
The good communication skills of project managers will assist public health officers in addressing issues of climate change and the importance of good climate management to the public. Project management will thus provide practical ways of stressing the benefits and providing people with significant extra reasons to back useful plans, policies, and personal actions.
Areas where project management can be applied
Project management techniques are essential for climate change and human health management because different outcomes are possible in this field and threats of troubles and failures are apparent. In the field of climate change and human health, skills of project management are necessary during planning, evaluation of options, development of effective policies, and arrangement of program actions and resources to produce fruitful outcomes (Heagney, 2011).
A good example of the usefulness of project management skills in formulating effective policies is the Tobacco Control Policy in America. This National Tobacco Strategy entails guidelines to control advertising, location of sale, smoking zones, levy, forewarnings on wrappings, and information campaigns. The planning, execution, implementation, and control of Tobacco Control Policy reveal the input of project management skills on successive projects (Kerzner, 2004).
How project management can be applied
Project management techniques and tools such as brainstorming and diagrams can help in discovering public health effects that show distinctive climate sensitivity. Recognizing the comparative value of the two perceptions is a significant problem for public health and environment practitioners.
Since climate causal agents, population exposures, and public health capabilities are unpredictably spread, application of project management skills are essential in addressing their impacts. Gantt charts and critical path analysis flow charts are essential in distinguishing and establishing vulnerabilities and risk populations and in evaluating distinct climate associated health risks by using scenarios and decision support apparatus to assess options (Heagney, 2011).
Conclusion
The handling of the issue of climate change and human health calls for a holistic approach rather than a one-dimensional approach. This approach concentrates on the wider perspective, comprising of the interrelationships between the variety of causal aspects and policy goals.
By their existence, the matters of climate change and human health are wrongly understood, and hence the original planning borders are demarcated too thinly. This paper indicates the importance of incorporating the skills of project management in solving issues related to climate change and human health if a long term solution is to be achieved.
Project management is capable of developing more systematic and innovative approaches and models of addressing issues of climate change and human health. In this complex time and era, individuals, governments, and non-governmental organizations must be adoptive of project management techniques in addressing climate change and health issues; this is in contrary to methods that have conventionally predominated government thoughts (Campbell-Lendrum, Corvalán, & Neira, 2007).
References
Campbell-Lendrum, D., Corvalán, C., & Neira, M. (2007). Global climate change: implications for international public health policy. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 85(3), 235-237.
Heagney, J. (2011). Fundamentals of project management (4th ed.). New York: American Management Association.
Kerzner, H. (2004). Advanced project management: Best practices on implementation. Baltimore: John Wiley & Sons.
Stott, R., & Godlee, F. (2006). What should we do about climate change?: Health professionals need to act now, collectively and individually. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 333(7576), 983.