AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 17-2081.00

Will AI replace Environmental Engineers?

Environmental Engineers: AI can already handle 17 of 29 tasks; the work mostly needs a frontier-tier model.

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Every task, scored

The 29 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Environmental Engineers, from most to least exposed. 17 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.

Task AI exposure Evidence Model tier Importance
Assess, sort, characterize, or pack known or unknown materials. 90 Estimated Standard 3.5
Write reports or articles for Web sites or newsletters related to environmental engineering issues. 85 Estimated Efficient 3.3
Monitor progress of environmental improvement programs. 75 Estimated Standard 4.1
Prepare or present public briefings on the status of environmental engineering projects. 75 Estimated Standard 3.8
Assist in budget implementation, forecasts, or administration. 75 Estimated Frontier 3.8
Inform company employees or other interested parties of environmental issues. 75 Estimated Frontier 3.7
Serve as liaison with federal, state, or local agencies or officials on issues pertaining to solid or hazardous waste program requirements. 75 Estimated Standard 3.6
Prepare hazardous waste manifests or land disposal restriction notifications. 75 Estimated Efficient 3.4
Attend professional conferences to share information. 75 Estimated Standard 3.3
Assess the existing or potential environmental impact of land use projects on air, water, or land. 65 Estimated Efficient 4.2
Prepare, review, or update environmental investigation or recommendation reports. 65 Estimated Efficient 4.0
Inspect industrial or municipal facilities or programs to evaluate operational effectiveness or ensure compliance with environmental regulations. 65 Estimated Standard 3.7
Provide environmental engineering assistance in network analysis, regulatory analysis, or planning or reviewing database development. 65 Estimated Standard 3.5
Prepare, maintain, or revise quality assurance documentation or procedures. 65 Observed Efficient 3.8
Advise corporations or government agencies of procedures to follow in cleaning up contaminated sites to protect people and the environment. 60 Estimated Frontier 4.2
Advise industries or government agencies about environmental policies and standards. 60 Estimated Frontier 3.8
Request bids from suppliers or consultants. 60 Estimated Frontier 3.7
Design, or supervise the design of, systems, processes, or equipment for control, management, or remediation of water, air, or soil quality. 50 Estimated Frontier 4.3
Collaborate with environmental scientists, planners, hazardous waste technicians, engineers, experts in law or business, or other specialists to address environmental problems. 50 Estimated Standard 4.2
Develop proposed project objectives and targets and report to management on progress in attaining them. 50 Estimated Frontier 4.2
Provide technical support for environmental remediation or litigation projects, including remediation system design or determination of regulatory applicability. 50 Estimated Frontier 3.8
Develop site-specific health and safety protocols, such as spill contingency plans or methods for loading or transporting waste. 50 Estimated Frontier 3.8
Coordinate or manage environmental protection programs or projects, assigning or evaluating work. 50 Estimated Frontier 3.8
Obtain, update, or maintain plans, permits, or standard operating procedures. 50 Estimated Efficient 3.8
Develop or present environmental compliance training or orientation sessions. 50 Estimated Standard 3.5
Provide assistance with planning, quality assurance, safety inspection protocols, or sampling as part of a team conducting multimedia inspections at complex facilities. 50 Estimated Standard 3.5
Develop, implement, or manage plans or programs related to conservation or management of natural resources. 50 Estimated Standard 3.5
Provide administrative support for projects by collecting data, providing project documentation, training staff, or performing other general administrative duties. 35 Estimated Efficient 3.5
Direct installation or operation of environmental monitoring devices or supervise related data collection programs. 20 Estimated Standard 3.8

Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 1 of 29 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 28 of 29. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.

The model tier this role needs

A frontier-tier model or lower covers 100% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 100% of the work is something AI can address at some tier.

Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.

Wages, employment and outlook

US employment
38,340
Median annual wage
$107,110
Middle half of earners
$83,570 to $134,420
Projected change, 2024 to 2034
+3.9%

Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.

Adjacent roles

The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.

Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.

Questions about Environmental Engineers and AI

Will AI replace Environmental Engineers?

AI already handles 17 of the 29 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 60 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by +3.9% from 2024 to 2034.

What is the AI exposure of Environmental Engineers?

60 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 1 of the 29 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 28 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.

Which Environmental Engineers tasks can AI already do?

The tasks with the highest exposure are: Assess, sort, characterize, or pack known or unknown materials; Write reports or articles for Web sites or newsletters related to environmental engineering issues; Monitor progress of environmental improvement programs. They are three of the 17 tasks that reach 60 or more.

What AI model tier does this role need?

A frontier-tier model or lower covers 100% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.

How many people work as Environmental Engineers, and what do they earn?

38,340 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $107,110 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +3.9% from 2024 to 2034.

How to cite

Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.

JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Environmental Engineers. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/environmental-engineers

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