Industrial Ecologists
Apply principles and processes of natural ecosystems to develop models for efficient industrial systems. Use knowledge from the physical and social sciences to maximize effective use of natural resources in the production and use of goods and services. Examine societal issues and their relationship with both technical systems and the environment.
$82,220 a year (for the broader BLS group this job sits in).
of the working time. Estimate.
- 94%
- 0%
- 6%
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, 1%. Today's estimate: 1%.
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 . 38 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identify environmental impacts caused by products, systems, or projects.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 5% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 2.5 work days | 8%Half by Sep 2027 | |
| Identify or develop strategies or methods to minimize the environmental impact of industrial production processes.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 5% | 1.7 work days3.3 h to 1 work week | 2%Half by Apr 2028 | |
| Identify sustainable alternatives to industrial or waste-management practices.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 5% | 1.7 work days3.3 h to 4.2 work days | 2%Half by Feb 2028 | |
| Analyze changes designed to improve the environmental performance of complex systems and avoid unintended negative consequences.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 5% | 3.3 work days6.7 h to 1.7 work weeks | 0%Half by Sep 2028 | |
| Perform analyses to determine how human behavior can affect, and be affected by, changes in the environment.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 5% | 3.3 work days6.7 h to 1.7 work weeks | 0%Half by Sep 2028 | |
| Conduct environmental sustainability assessments, using material flow analysis (MFA) or substance flow analysis (SFA) techniques.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 5% | 4.2 work days6.7 h to 2.5 work weeks | 0%Half by Jan 2029 | |
| Examine local, regional, or global use and flow of materials or energy in industrial production processes.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 5% | 4.2 work days6.7 h to 2.5 work weeks | 0%Half by Jan 2029 | |
| Translate the theories of industrial ecology into eco-industrial practices.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 5% | 4.2 work days6.7 h to 2.5 work weeks | 0%Half by Jan 2029 | |
| Redesign linear, or open-loop, systems into cyclical, or closed-loop, systems so that waste products become inputs for new processes, modeling natural ecosystems.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 5% | 1.3 work weeks1.7 work days to 3.3 work weeks | 0%Half by Feb 2029 | |
| Plan or conduct field research on topics such as industrial production, industrial ecology, population ecology, and environmental production or sustainability.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 5% | 1.3 work weeks1.7 work days to 3.3 work weeks | Stays with people | |
| Create complex and dynamic mathematical models of population, community, or ecological systems.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 5% | 1.7 work weeks1.7 work days to 4.2 work weeks | 0%Half by Jun 2029 | |
| Apply new or existing research about natural ecosystems to understand economic and industrial systems in the context of the environment.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 5% | 2.5 work days6.7 h to 1.3 work weeks | 0%Half by Apr 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.
- Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health4% now, 57% by 2028
- Conservation Scientists19% now, 70% by 2028
- Environmental Restoration Planners3% now, 55% by 2028
- Water Resource Specialists1% now, 77% by 2028
- Soil and Plant Scientists1% now, 16% by 2028
- Environmental Engineers6% now, 54% by 2028
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.