Environmental Scientists
Official O*NET title: Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health (19-2041.00)
Also called: environmental analyst, environmental health and safety specialist, environmental health specialist, environmental programs specialist, environmental protection specialist
Do you do this at work?
Answer each card — it takes about a minute.
Do you do this at work?
Communicate scientific or technical information to the public, organizations, or internal audiences through oral briefings, written documents, workshops, conferences, training sessions, or public hearings
Swipe right for yes, left for not me. On a keyboard: → yes, ← not me, Z undo. +2 XP per answer.
How AI is changing environmental scientists work
4 of 12 measurable main tasks for this job show up in real AI-use data, so we rate it Amber (some AI use) — 33%.
This shows where people already use AI, not whether the job will disappear. How we measure this.
Tasks in this job and recorded AI use
- Communicate scientific or technical information to the public, organizations, or internal audiences through oral briefings, written documents, workshops, conferences, training sessions, or public hearings (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Prepare charts or graphs from data samples, providing summary information on the environmental relevance of the data (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Collect, synthesize, analyze, manage, and report environmental data (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Provide advice on proper standards and regulations or the development of policies, strategies, or codes of practice for environmental management (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Monitor effects of pollution or land degradation and recommend means of prevention or control (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Review and put in place environmental technical standards, guidelines, policies, and formal regulations that meet all appropriate requirements (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Provide scientific or technical guidance, support, coordination, or oversight to governmental agencies, environmental programs, industry, or the public (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Process and review environmental permits, licenses, or related materials (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Conduct environmental audits or inspections or investigations of violations (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Research sources of pollution to determine their effects on the environment and to develop theories or methods of pollution abatement or control (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Supervise or train students, environmental technologists, technicians, or other related staff (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Monitor environmental impacts of development activities (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Plan or develop research models, using knowledge of mathematical and statistical concepts — a lot of recorded AI use
- Analyze data to determine validity, quality, and scientific significance and to interpret correlations between human activities and environmental effects — some recorded AI use
- Determine data collection methods to be employed in research projects or surveys — some recorded AI use
- Evaluate violations or problems discovered during inspections to determine appropriate regulatory actions or to provide advice on the development and prosecution of regulatory cases — some recorded AI use
- Investigate and report on accidents affecting the environment — no recorded AI use
- Develop the technical portions of legal documents, administrative orders, or consent decrees — no recorded AI use
- Design or direct studies to obtain technical environmental information about planned projects — no recorded AI use
- Conduct applied research on environmental topics — no recorded AI use
- Develop programs designed to obtain the most productive, non-damaging use of land — no recorded AI use
- 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 — no recorded AI use
Tasks: O*NET 31.0. AI use: Anthropic Economic Index (exact or close text match).
Your first steps (guidance)
- Week 1: Open a free AI assistant and say hello. Follow our “Getting started with AI” guide. Ask it one simple question about your work.
- Week 2: Use AI on one task you do often. Try the prompt for: “Communicate scientific or technical information to the public, organizations, or internal audiences through oral briefings, written documents, workshops, conferences, training sessions, or public hearings”. Try the prompt for: “Prepare charts or graphs from data samples, providing summary information on the environmental relevance of the data”.
Tick your own tasks above to get a plan based on what you really do. The first 2 weeks are free; Premium (coming soon) adds weeks 3–12. New to AI? Read our beginner’s guide.
Questions about AI and environmental scientists
Will AI replace environmental scientists?
Our data can’t predict job losses, and we don’t try to. What it does show: 4 of the 12 main tasks for this job match tasks people already use AI for (Anthropic Economic Index), giving a Amber rating (some AI use). Using AI on a task is not the same as AI doing the whole job, and 14 of the 22 listed tasks show no recorded AI use yet.
Which environmental scientist tasks is AI used for most?
In the data, the most AI use among this job’s tasks is for: plan or develop research models, using knowledge of mathematical and statistical concepts; communicate scientific or technical information to the public, organizations, or internal audiences through oral briefings, written documents, workshops, conferences, training sessions, or public hearings; prepare charts or graphs from data samples, providing summary information on the environmental relevance of the data.
Which environmental scientist tasks show little or no AI use?
For example: monitor effects of pollution or land degradation and recommend means of prevention or control; review and put in place environmental technical standards, guidelines, policies, and formal regulations that meet all appropriate requirements; provide scientific or technical guidance, support, coordination, or oversight to governmental agencies, environmental programs, industry, or the public. These are good places to keep building your own skills.
How does this job compare to others?
In Microsoft Research’s “Working with AI” study, this job’s AI applicability score is equal to or higher than 61% of the occupations they scored. That measures overlap with AI chat use, not risk of job loss.
How can a environmental scientist start learning AI?
Start small: open a free AI assistant, try it on one task you do often, and always check facts and numbers yourself. The plan on this page is guidance, not professional advice.
See how this job ranks
Environmental Scientists ranks #245 of 572 jobs for the share of main tasks with AI use (#1 = most), and #33 of 45 in Science & Research.
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