Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health
Conduct research or perform investigation for the purpose of identifying, abating, or eliminating sources of pollutants or hazards that affect either the environment or public health. Using knowledge of various scientific disciplines, may collect, synthesize, study, report, and recommend action based on data derived from measurements or observations of air, food, soil, water, and other sources.
89,250 people do this job in the US. $82,220 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 84%
- 6%
- 9%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 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, 3%. Today's estimate: 4%.
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 . 22 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conduct applied research on environmental topics, such as waste control or treatment or pollution abatement methods.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 13% | 1.7 work weeks1.7 work days to 1.2 work months | 0%Half by Aug 2029 | |
| Monitor effects of pollution or land degradation and recommend means of prevention or control.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 11% | 1.7 work days3.3 h to 4.2 work days | 2%Half by Feb 2028 | |
| Research sources of pollution to determine their effects on the environment and to develop theories or methods of pollution abatement or control.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 10% | 4.2 work days6.7 h to 3.5 work weeks | 0%Half by Apr 2029 | |
| Provide advice on proper standards and regulations or the development of policies, strategies, or codes of practice for environmental management.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 7% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 4.2 work days | 6%Half by Jan 2028 | |
| Review and implement environmental technical standards, guidelines, policies, and formal regulations that meet all appropriate requirements.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 6% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 4.2 work days | 6%Half by Jan 2028 | |
| Communicate scientific or technical information to the public, organizations, or internal audiences through oral briefings, written documents, workshops, conferences, training sessions, or public hearings.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 6% | 3.3 h50 min to 1.7 work days | 21%Half by May 2027 | |
| Analyze data to determine validity, quality, and scientific significance and to interpret correlations between human activities and environmental effects.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 6% | 1.3 work days2.5 h to 4.2 work days | 3%Half by Feb 2028 | |
| Design or direct studies to obtain technical environmental information about planned projects.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 5% | 4.2 work days6.7 h to 3.3 work weeks | Stays with people | |
| Develop methods to minimize the impact of production processes on the environment, based on the study and assessment of industrial production, environmental legislation, and physical, biological, and social environments.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 4.2 work days6.7 h to 3.5 work weeks | 0%Half by Apr 2029 | |
| Collect, synthesize, analyze, manage, and report environmental data, such as pollution emission measurements, atmospheric monitoring measurements, meteorological or mineralogical information, or soil or water samples.Done more than weekly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 4% | 6.7 h3.3 h to 4.2 work days | Stays with people | |
| Monitor environmental impacts of development activities.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 4% | 1.7 work days3.3 h to 4.2 work days | 2%Half by Feb 2028 | |
| Conduct environmental audits or inspections or investigations of violations.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 4% | 1.7 work days3.3 h to 4.2 work days | Stays with people |
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.
- Environmental Compliance Inspectors37% now, 63% by 2028
- Environmental Engineers6% now, 54% by 2028
- Industrial Ecologists1% now, 62% by 2028
- Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health11% now, 61% by 2028
- Conservation Scientists19% now, 70% by 2028
- Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians16% now, 62% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).