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Climate Change Policy Analysts

Research and analyze policy developments related to climate change. Make climate-related recommendations for actions such as legislation, awareness campaigns, or fundraising approaches.

$82,220 a year (for the broader BLS group this job sits in).

now
4%

of the working time. Estimate.

Kinds of work
  • 98%
  • 2%
  • 0%
5%

Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.

Half the desk work within reach
December 2027

On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.

Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030

0%25%50%75%100%2027202820292030NowDesk work: 98% of the time
Chosen to Ceiling: the share
DateNow
NowEnd of 2030

What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .

At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.

How far this has come

With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 2%. Today's estimate: 4%.

0%5%10%2023202420252026GPT-4, March 2023: 0% within reachGPT-4 Turbo (Nov 2023), November 2023: 0% within reachGPT-4o, May 2024: 0% within reachClaude 3.5 Sonnet (June 2024), June 2024: 0% within reacho1-preview, September 2024: 0% within reachClaude 3.5 Sonnet (Oct 2024), October 2024: 0% within reacho1, December 2024: 0% within reachClaude 3.7 Sonnet, February 2025: 0% within reacho3, April 2025: 0% within reachGPT-5, August 2025: 0% within reachGemini 3 Pro, November 2025: 0% within reachClaude Opus 4.5, November 2025: 0% within reachGPT-5.2, December 2025: 0% within reachClaude Opus 4.6, February 2026: 0% within reachClaude Mythos Preview (early), April 2026: 2% within reachToday (estimate), September 2026: 4% within reach
Each step is a new best model measured by METR, four in five; the dashed end is today's estimate. Point at a dot for the model.

A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.

The tasks

Sorted by . 14 tasks from .

TaskKind
Propose new or modified policies involving use of traditional and alternative fuels, transportation of goods, and other factors relating to climate and climate change.Done more than yearly by most who do it. 18%2.1 work days6.7 h to 1 work week1%Half by Feb 2028
Research policies, practices, or procedures for climate or environmental management.Done more than monthly by most who do it. 15%1.3 work days3.3 h to 3.1 work days3%Half by Oct 2027
Prepare study reports, memoranda, briefs, testimonies, or other written materials to inform government or environmental groups on environmental issues, such as climate change.Done more than yearly by most who do it. 9%1.7 work days5 h to 4.2 work days1%Half by Dec 2027
Write reports or academic papers to communicate findings of climate-related studies.Done more than yearly by most who do it. 9%4.2 work days1.7 work days to 2.1 work weeks0%Half by Aug 2028
Provide analytical support for policy briefs related to renewable energy, energy efficiency, or climate change.Done more than monthly by most who do it. 9%5 h1.7 h to 1.6 work days17%Half by Apr 2027
Gather and review climate-related studies from government agencies, research laboratories, and other organizations.Done more than monthly by most who do it. 8%1 work day2.5 h to 3.1 work days5%Half by Oct 2027
Develop, or contribute to the development of, educational or outreach programs on the environment or climate change.Done more than yearly by most who do it. 8%2.1 work days6.7 h to 1.3 work weeks1%Half by Mar 2028
Promote initiatives to mitigate climate change with government or environmental groups.Done more than monthly by most who do it. 7%6.7 h1.7 h to 2.6 work days8%Half by Oct 2027
Review existing policies or legislation to identify environmental impacts.Done more than monthly by most who do it. 5%1 work day3.3 h to 2.6 work days5%Half by Aug 2027
Prepare grant applications to obtain funding for programs related to climate change, environmental management, or sustainability.Done more than yearly by most who do it. 3%3.1 work days1 work day to 1.7 work weeks0%Half by Jul 2028
Analyze and distill climate-related research findings to inform legislators, regulatory agencies, or other stakeholders.Done more than monthly by most who do it. 3%6.7 h2.5 h to 2.1 work days10%Half by Jun 2027
Make legislative recommendations related to climate change or environmental management, based on climate change policies, principles, programs, practices, and processes.Done more than monthly by most who do it. 3%1.6 work days4.2 h to 4.2 work days2%Half by Jan 2028

Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.

Jobs that share skills with this one

From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.

Where this job works

The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.

Where the most of these jobs are

The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.