Mostly Resilient

Last Update: 11/4/2026

AI Resilience Score for Environmental Scientists:

59.2%

Median Score

Meaningful human contribution

Med

Long-term employer demand

Med

Sustained economic opportunity

Med

Our confidence in this score:
High

Methodology and Scoring Rationale

To score how resilient environmental science work is to AI, we ask one question in three parts:

First, how much of the job still needs a human, read from six AI-exposure sources: our own AI Resilience Model, Anthropic's Observed Exposure, Microsoft's AI Applicability, Will Robots Take My Job, OpenAI Signals, and Google ATLAS. We call this dimension Meaningful Human Contribution (MHC) and weight it at 40%.

Next, whether employers will keep hiring for this job over the long term. This dimension, which we call Long-term Employer Demand (LTE), is calculated from BLS data and weighted at 30%.

Last, whether pay and mobility will hold up. We use wage bill and adaptive capacity data from independent researchers (Althoff & Reichardt, 2026; Manning & Aguirre, 2026). We call this dimension Sustained Economic Opportunity (SEO) and weight it at 30%.

For environmental scientists, all nine sources had data and leaned toward resilience: Anthropic, Will Robots Take My Job, and OpenAI Signals rated AI exposure as High (meaning more work stays human), while AI Resilience Model, Microsoft, and Google ATLAS rated it Medium, so confidence lands at High. Steady demand and solid adaptive capacity keep this career "Mostly Resilient."

AI Resilience Report forEnvironmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health

$82,220 median salary•7,300 annual openings•SOC Code: 19-2041.00

Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health are somewhat more resilient to AI impacts than most occupations, according to our analysis of 8 sources.

Environmental scientists earn the "Mostly Resilient" label because while AI is taking over some of the more repetitive, data-heavy tasks (like manually sorting through sensor readings or running basic field survey analyses), the heart of the job still depends on skills that AI cannot replicate. Fieldwork, stakeholder engagement, policy development, and on-the-ground judgment in unpredictable environments all require a human presence and human reasoning that no algorithm can fully replace.

Learn more about how you can thrive in this position

This role is mostly resilient

Environmental scientists earn the "Mostly Resilient" label because while AI is taking over some of the more repetitive, data-heavy tasks (like manually sorting through sensor readings or running basic field survey analyses), the heart of the job still depends on skills that AI cannot replicate. Fieldwork, stakeholder engagement, policy development, and on-the-ground judgment in unpredictable environments all require a human presence and human reasoning that no algorithm can fully replace.

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Analysis of current AI resilience

Environmental Scientists

Updated quarterly

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More Career Info

Career: Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health

They study the environment to find ways to protect it and keep people healthy by solving problems like pollution and climate change.

Alternate Titles

Environmental Programs Specialist · Environmental Protection Specialist · Environmental Scientist · Environmental Specialist · Environmental Analyst · Environmental Health and Safety Specialist (EHS Specialist) · Environmental Health Specialist · Hazardous Substances Scientist · Natural Resources Specialist · Registered Environmental Health Specialist (REHS)

Employment & Wage Data

Median Wage

$82,220

Jobs (2025)

93,400

Growth (2025-35)

+6.1%

Annual Openings

7,300

Education

Bachelor's degree

Experience

None

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025-2035

Task-Level AI Resilience Scores

AI-generated estimates of task resilience over the next 3 years

1

90% ResilienceSupplemental

Supervise or train students, environmental technologists, technicians, or other related staff.

2

88% ResilienceCore Task

Conduct environmental audits or inspections or investigations of violations.

3

85% ResilienceCore Task

Provide scientific or technical guidance, support, coordination, or oversight to governmental agencies, environmental programs, industry, or the public.

4

82% ResilienceCore Task

Design or direct studies to obtain technical environmental information about planned projects.

5

80% ResilienceSupplemental

Investigate and report on accidents affecting the environment.

6

78% ResilienceSupplemental

Evaluate violations or problems discovered during inspections to determine appropriate regulatory actions or to provide advice on the development and prosecution of regulatory cases.

7

75% ResilienceCore Task

Provide advice on proper standards and regulations or the development of policies, strategies, or codes of practice for environmental management.

Tasks are ranked by their AI resilience, with the most resilient tasks shown first. Core tasks are essential functions of this occupation, while supplemental tasks provide additional context.

The AI Resilience Report is a project from CareerVillage.org®, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

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