What it pays
Government survey numbers — not estimates, not ads.
Half of all Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health in the U.S. earn more than $82,220 a year — the middle 80% land between $52,520 and $140,010. About 89,250 people in the U.S. do this work. Figures are for the U.S. occupation group “Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health”. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, published 2025.) In India, Professionals earn about ₹38,298 a month on average — around ₹4.6 lakh a year (government PLFS survey via ILOSTAT, occupation-family figure).
$82,220typical pay / year
89,250people in this work
$140,010+top 10% earn
₹4.6 lakha year in India (family avg)
Think you get this job?Six quick questions on how it really works — with a hint and the reason behind every answer.
Test yourself →The work, task by task
These are the real jobs-to-be-done, not a wish list. Each task shows where we found it, and the prompt underneath is written for that exact task.
Analysing4
Evaluate climate initiatives
+Assess the portfolio of municipal and regional climate initiatives against the latest temperature and…
Evaluate climate initiatives
+Assess the portfolio of municipal and regional climate initiatives against the latest temperature and precipitation trends, calculate greenhouse gas reductions and cost per ton avoided, flag programs missing baseline data, and send a two-page memo to Maria in Policy by Wednesday.
The tools that do the workPythonMicrosoft ExcelESCOjob descriptions
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Conduct environmental impact assessments
+Complete environmental impact assessments for the three proposed coastal developments by comparing projected…
Conduct environmental impact assessments
+Complete environmental impact assessments for the three proposed coastal developments by comparing projected storm and sea-level changes to habitat maps, quantify species at risk and erosion, note where monitoring data are lacking, and deliver a one-page executive summary to Daniel in Planning by next Monday.
The tools that do the workESRI ArcGISPythonjob descriptionsO*NET
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Analyze climate policy data
+Compile temperature, emissions and energy-use time series for the past five years for the county, run trend…
Analyze climate policy data
+Compile temperature, emissions and energy-use time series for the past five years for the county, run trend and seasonal decomposition, calculate anomaly metrics and confidence intervals, and deliver a figures pack plus a one-page methodological note to the director in two weeks.
The tools that do the workThe MathWorks MATLABMicrosoft Exceljob descriptionsO*NET
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Prepare policy briefs
+Draft a two-page policy brief synthesising recent regional climate trends, projected impacts on cultural…
Prepare policy briefs
+Draft a two-page policy brief synthesising recent regional climate trends, projected impacts on cultural institutions, three policy options with costs and legal risks, and an executive recommendation, ready for stakeholder review on Thursday afternoon.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordMicrosoft PowerPointESCOjob descriptions
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The daily work16
Perform scientific research
+Design and run a reproducible study comparing the past thirty years of regional temperature and precipitation…
Perform scientific research
+Design and run a reproducible study comparing the past thirty years of regional temperature and precipitation observations, document data sources and quality checks, run the statistical tests that justify conclusions, and draft a clear methods section for stakeholders.
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Apply scientific methods
+Formulate hypotheses and a protocol to test how urban land cover alters local heat extremes, list…
Apply scientific methods
+Formulate hypotheses and a protocol to test how urban land cover alters local heat extremes, list measurements and sampling frequency, specify statistical significance thresholds, and prepare the analysis plan so colleagues can run it blind.
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Execute analytical mathematical calculations
+Compute trend estimates and confidence intervals for seasonal temperature anomalies across five stations,…
Execute analytical mathematical calculations
+Compute trend estimates and confidence intervals for seasonal temperature anomalies across five stations, include uncertainty propagation from instrument error, and produce tables and summary figures ready for policy brief inclusion.
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Conduct research on climate processes
+Assemble and synthesize observational and model evidence on atmospheric circulation drivers of recent…
Conduct research on climate processes
+Assemble and synthesize observational and model evidence on atmospheric circulation drivers of recent seasonal drying, evaluate competing mechanisms with quantitative metrics, and write a concise advisory memo with recommended next research steps.
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Advise on weather-related issues
+Advise the city resilience team on short-term weather-related risks for the next three days, flagging likely…
Advise on weather-related issues
+Advise the city resilience team on short-term weather-related risks for the next three days, flagging likely heatwave, flood, or wind impacts on transport and hospitals, recommend two immediate mitigation steps and a contact in emergency management.
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Use measurement instruments
+Calibrate and document the portable temperature and anemometer instruments at the downtown monitoring site,…
Use measurement instruments
+Calibrate and document the portable temperature and anemometer instruments at the downtown monitoring site, record calibration readings and uncertainty estimates, and submit the verification sheet to operations by Tuesday morning.
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Scientific research methodology
+Draft a methods section for the grant application describing the sampling strategy, hypothesis tests, data…
Scientific research methodology
+Draft a methods section for the grant application describing the sampling strategy, hypothesis tests, data quality controls, and replication plan for the proposed climate impact study, with sources and tentative timelines.
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Scientific modelling
+Build and run a prototype regional climate model experiment to test urban heat island scenarios, document…
Scientific modelling
+Build and run a prototype regional climate model experiment to test urban heat island scenarios, document input parameters and sensitivity runs, and summarise results for the modeling lead by Friday.
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Carry out meteorological research
+Design and execute a three-week meteorological field campaign to sample boundary-layer temperature and…
Carry out meteorological research
+Design and execute a three-week meteorological field campaign to sample boundary-layer temperature and humidity across the river corridor, list sites, equipment, QA checks, personnel shifts, and data delivery schedule.
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Collect weather-related data
+Set up an automated daily pipeline to ingest station and radar observations, run quality control, aggregate…
Collect weather-related data
+Set up an automated daily pipeline to ingest station and radar observations, run quality control, aggregate into a central dataset, and produce a morning briefing table for policymakers by 07:00 local.
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Present and defend proposals for climate change research projects.
+Draft a ten-minute briefing and two-slide memo defending the climate research portfolio I proposed, emphasise…
Present and defend proposals for climate change research projects.
+Draft a ten-minute briefing and two-slide memo defending the climate research portfolio I proposed, emphasise projected emissions reductions, cost per tonne, and three riskier options with mitigation plans, and prepare rebuttals for Thomas in Research and Amina in Finance for Thursday morning.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft WordO*NET
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Prepare grant applications to obtain funding for programs related to climate change, environmental management, or sustainability.
+Prepare the grant application for the coastal resilience programme, include objectives, methods, budget…
Prepare grant applications to obtain funding for programs related to climate change, environmental management, or sustainability.
+Prepare the grant application for the coastal resilience programme, include objectives, methods, budget broken down by year, CVs for lead investigators Sarah Patel and Omar Ruiz, letters of support from the local council and the university, and a clear evaluation plan to submit by next Wednesday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordMicrosoft ExcelO*NET
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Collaborate with stakeholders
+Set up and run a two-hour stakeholder workshop with representatives from the fisheries board, community…
Collaborate with stakeholders
+Set up and run a two-hour stakeholder workshop with representatives from the fisheries board, community groups, and the Environment Agency, circulate an agenda with three decision points, collect written inputs on adaptation priorities, and deliver a one-page synthesis by Friday afternoon.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft OfficeMicrosoft Wordjob descriptions
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Monitor policy implementation
+Produce the quarterly policy implementation tracker for the urban heat project: update status against the six…
Monitor policy implementation
+Produce the quarterly policy implementation tracker for the urban heat project: update status against the six milestones, flag two underperforming measures with root-cause notes, attach recent monitoring data and recommend three corrective actions for the director by Monday lunchtime.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Wordjob descriptions
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Analyse historic weather conditions
+Compile a retrospective analysis of last summer's heatwave: aggregate station temperature records, compute…
Analyse historic weather conditions
+Compile a retrospective analysis of last summer's heatwave: aggregate station temperature records, compute anomaly series against the 1981–2010 baseline, visualise three key trends, and write a two-page summary for the press office and policy team by Tuesday.
The tools that do the workThe MathWorks MATLABESRI ArcGISESCO
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Apply statistical analysis techniques
+Run the monthly statistical analysis on rainfall and crop yield: clean the sensor dataset, test the…
Apply statistical analysis techniques
+Run the monthly statistical analysis on rainfall and crop yield: clean the sensor dataset, test the relationship with a multivariate model controlling for soil type and irrigation, produce coefficient tables and diagnostics, and deliver the results with interpretation to the agriculture team on Friday.
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Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses
Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses