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Climate Change Analyst

Overview and Key Facts

Climate change analyst
Education
Education
Bachelor's degree
Median Pay
Median Pay
$80,060
Job Growth
Job Growth
4.40%
(US Average)
Jobs in 2034
Jobs in 2034
94,300

What Do They Do?

A climate change analyst could...

 
Red earth
Use existing climate data to create mathematical models of what will happen to ocean and land temperatures in the next 50 years.
Testify before Congress about the long-term climate and economic impacts of legislating higher automotive fuel-efficiency standards.
Climate change diagram
Create graphics and presentations to educate the public about climate change and its impacts.
Grain in hands
Help avoid famines by projecting how climate change will affect worldwide farming and food distribution.
 
Red earth Climate change diagram Grain in hands

Overview Listen to this section

How is climate change affecting Earth? What will the changes mean for society? If these are questions that peak your curiosity, then you might be interested in a job as a climate change analyst. Climate change analysts evaluate climate data and research to determine how shifts in the climate will affect natural resources, animals, and civilizations. They use this information to make suggestions about what individuals and governments can do to ensure a higher-quality life for everyone in the face of a changing environment.
Gavin Schmidt is a climatologist and climate modeler at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies. Watch the full episode on Secret Life of Scientists and Engineers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwIwG7LDRAI

Do You Have the Skills and Characteristics of a Climate Change Analyst?


  1. Reading Comprehension: ?
  2. Active Listening: ?
  3. Critical Thinking: ?
  4. Writing: ?
  5. Speaking: ?
More skills...

Core Tasks

Think about if you'd like the typical tasks a Climate Change Analyst might do:
  • Provide analytical support for policy briefs related to renewable energy, energy efficiency, or climate change.
  • Propose new or modified policies involving use of traditional and alternative fuels, transportation of goods, and other factors relating to climate and climate change.
  • Analyze and distill climate-related research findings to inform legislators, regulatory agencies, or other stakeholders.
  • Prepare study reports, memoranda, briefs, testimonies, or other written materials to inform government or environmental groups on environmental issues, such as climate change.
  • Make legislative recommendations related to climate change or environmental management, based on climate change policies, principles, programs, practices, and processes.
  • Present climate-related information at public interest, governmental, or other meetings.
  • Gather and review climate-related studies from government agencies, research laboratories, and other organizations.
  • Promote initiatives to mitigate climate change with government or environmental groups.
  • Review existing policies or legislation to identify environmental impacts.
  • Research policies, practices, or procedures for climate or environmental management.
  • Write reports or academic papers to communicate findings of climate-related studies.
  • Develop, or contribute to the development of, educational or outreach programs on the environment or climate change.
  • Present and defend proposals for climate change research projects.
  • Prepare grant applications to obtain funding for programs related to climate change, environmental management, or sustainability.

Salary & Job Openings

Median Salary (Yearly Pay)

Tap or scroll over map to see median salaries for each state

Future Jobs

Blast-Off:

How Will Climate Change Analyst Jobs Grow by 2034?
Projected % Growth
Rapid growth
(10% or higher)
Much faster than average
(7% - 10%)
Faster than average
(5% - 7%)
About as fast as average
(3% - 5%)
Slower than average
(0% - 3%)
Decreasing
Average of all U.S. jobs (5.3%)
Climate Change Analyst jobs (4.40%)
Source: https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/occupational-projections-and-characteristics.htm

Steps to Get There: Becoming a Climate Change Analyst

High School Subjects to Study

Aim to study the yellow-shaded subjects.
Math
Algebra 1
Geometry
Algebra 2
Pre-Calculus
Calculus
Statistics
Science
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Environmental Science
Physiology
Bio-Medical / Biotech
IT &
Engineering
Computer Science
Applied Technology
Drafting & CAD Training
Core
English
Foreign Language
Business
Psychology / Sociology

Career Pathway Listen to this section

A bachelor's degree in environmental science or a related field is necessary to become a climate change analyst. Analysts who would like to focus primarily on the policy side of climate change can more easily get their first job with just a bachelor's degree. Students who would like to be more heavily involved in the science and mathematical modeling aspects of climate change analysis will also need a graduate degree (masters or PhD).

Informal training in the form of internships or time spent working in a climate-change-related science lab is also important. Since climate change analysis focuses on the junction of math, science, economics, and public policy, this is a key way of gaining first-hand skills and experience that might not be taught in the classroom.

Education- Typical Degree Needed After High School Listen to this section

Degree
Post
high school credential
AA
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctoral or Professional Degree

Typical degree for an entry-level position: Bachelor's degree ? Types of Degrees and Credentials

At minimum, a bachelor's degree in a scientific field is required to enter the climate change analyst career track. Strong job candidates usually hold a bachelor's degree in environmental science, or a related field, with an emphasis on understanding weather or the environment, and resource conservation. Students interested in pursuing a career in climate change analysis should also take college courses in math, statistics, computer science, and physics. This is particularly important for students who would like their careers to focus on the science and modeling aspects of climate change. Students who plan to pursue the policy side of climate change should take a heavier course load in public policy and economics.

Although it is possible to work as a climate change analyst with just a bachelor's degree, employment opportunities increase with a graduate degree. This is particularly true for students interested in the more modeling-intensive career path. For these students, a masters degree or PhD in environmental science, computer science, or mathematics is helpful. Job candidates who would like to focus more on the policy aspects of climate change might benefit from a masters degree or PhD in either public policy or in environmental science.

Companies That Hire Climate Change Analysts

Try it Out with an Activity or Project

STEM Activities

STEM activities are fun hands-on explorations that usually take from 10 minutes to one hour and use readily available household or classroom materials while introducing you to STEM concepts common in this career.

Science Project Ideas

Project Ideas are in-depth STEM explorations that have a strong focus on controlling variables, taking accurate measurements, and analyzing data suitable for investigating the scientific method or the engineering design process.

On the Job

Role Models

Read this interview with Habiba Gitay, senior environmental specialist with the World Bank Institute.
Maybe other species will continue, but humans may, atthe end of the day, have made themselves extinct through our pressures on the earth. 
Habiba Gitay, Sr. Environmental Specialist, World Bank

Nature of the Work

Climate change analysts evaluate scientific data and research about the climate. The climate data often includes, but is not limited to, information about atmospheric temperature, ocean conditions, ice masses, and greenhouse gases. They use this data to create models and to make predictions about what will happen to Earth's climate in the future, and what impacts, if any, these changes will have on natural ecosystems and civilizations. They evaluate both economic and physical impacts.

Although all climate change analysts have to be well-versed in both science and policy, an analyst's career typically focuses more heavily on either one aspect or the other. Climate change analysts who focus on science are more heavily involved in detailed mathematical modeling of the scientific data. They collaborate closely with the scientists who are gathering the climate data and work with them to analyze the information and put it in context with current environmental practices. They might also model how changes to existing government policies can alter climate change effects. Climate change analysts who focus on policy deal less with primary data; instead, they evaluate the published body of climate data and work to draw higher-level conclusions and make predictions from multiple studies. They then use these predictions to lobby for or against specific policy changes. Climate change analysts involved in policy spend a lot of time communicating their findings to non-scientific audiences like lawmakers, corporations, and the general public.

Work Environment

Climate change analysts spend most of their working hours indoors. A substantial amount of time is spent in front of the computer working on analyzing data and writing papers and speeches. 40-hour work weeks within normal business hours are typical for most analysts. Climate change analysts whose jobs also include a large policy or public education component might have require some additional evening and weekend work time when they are giving speeches or organizing events to highlight climate change issues.

More Information

Ask Questions

Do you have a specific question about a career as a Climate Change Analyst that isn't answered on this page? Post your question on the Science Buddies Ask an Expert Forum.

Sources

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