• Environmental scientists and specialists use their knowledge of the natural sciences to protect the environment by identifying problems and finding solutions that minimize hazards to the health of the environment and the population.
• They analyze measurements or observations of air, food, water, and soil to determine the way to clean and preserve the environment.
• Understanding the issues involved in protecting the environment—degradation, conservation, recycling, and replenishment—is central to the work of environmental scientists.
• They often use this understanding to design and monitor waste disposal sites, preserve water supplies, and reclaim contaminated land and water.
• They also write risk assessments, describing the likely affect of construction and other environmental changes; write technical proposals; and give presentations to managers and regulators.
• Many environmental scientists and specialists work for the government, ensuring that these regulations are followed and limiting the impact of human activity on the environment.
• Others monitor environmental impacts on the health of the population, checking for risks of disease and providing information about health hazards.
• Environmental scientists also work with private companies to help them comply with environmental regulations and policies.
• They are usually hired by consulting firms to solve problems.
• Most consulting firms fall into two categories—large multidisciplinary engineering companies, the largest of which may employ thousands of workers, and small niche firms that may employ only a few workers.
• When looking for jobs, environmental scientists should consider the type of firm and the scope of the projects it undertakes.
• In larger firms, environmental scientists are more likely to engage in large, long-term projects in which they will work with people in other scientific disciplines.
• In smaller specialty firms, however, they work more often with business professionals and clients in government and the private sector.
• Environmental scientists who work on policy formation may help identify ways that human behaviour can be modified in the future to avoid such problems as ground-water contamination and depletion of the ozone layer.
• Some environmental scientists work in managerial positions, usually after spending some time performing research or learning about environmental laws and regulations.
• Many environmental scientists do work and have training that is similar to other physical or life scientists, but they focus on environmental issues.
• Many specialize in subfields such as environmental ecology and conservation, environmental chemistry, environmental biology, or fisheries science.
• Specialties affect the specific activities that environmental scientists perform, although recent understandings of the interconnectedness of life processes have blurred some traditional classifications.
• For example, environmental ecologists study the relationships between organisms and their environments and the effects of factors such as population size, pollutants, rainfall, temperature, and altitude, on both. They may collect, study, and report data on air, soil, and water using their knowledge of various scientific disciplines.
• Ecological modelers study ecosystems, pollution control, and resource management using mathematical modelling, systems analysis, thermodynamics, and computer techniques.
• Environmental chemists study the toxicity of various chemicals, that is, how those chemicals affect plants, animals, and people.

• Job growth should be strongest in private-sector consulting firms.
• Growth in employment will be spurred largely by the increasing demands placed on the environment by population growth and increasing awareness of the problems caused by environmental degradation.
• Further demand should result from the need to comply with complex environmental laws and regulations, particularly those regarding ground-water decontamination and clean air.
• Much job growth will result from a continued need to monitor the quality of the environment, to interpret the impact of human actions on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and to develop strategies for restoring ecosystems.
• In addition, environmental scientists will be needed to help planners develop and construct buildings, transportation corridors, and utilities that protect water resources and reflect efficient and beneficial land use.
• Many environmental scientists and specialists work in consulting.
• Consulting firms have hired these scientists to help businesses and government address issues related to underground tanks, land disposal areas, and other hazardous-waste-management facilities.
• Currently, environmental consulting is evolving from investigations to creating remediation and engineering solutions.
• At the same time, the regulatory climate is moving from a rigid structure to a more flexible risk-based approach.
• This shift in focus to preventive management will provide many new opportunities for environmental scientists in consulting roles.
• During periods of economic recession, layoffs of environmental scientists and specialists may occur in consulting firms, particularly when there is a slowdown in new construction.

Other occupations that deal with preserving or researching the natural environment include Atmospheric scientists; Biological scientists; Chemists and material scientists; Conservation scientists and foresters; Engineering technicians; Engineers; Epidemiologists; Geoscientists and hydrologists; Physicists and astronomers; Science technicians; Surveyors, cartographers, photogrammetrists, and surveying and mapping technicians.

• Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science
• Master's degree in Environmental Science
• Ph.D. in Environmental Science