Life, Physical, and Social Science · Holland code IEC
Climate Change Policy Analysts
Research and analyze policy developments related to climate change. Make climate-related recommendations for actions such as legislation, awareness campaigns, or fundraising approaches.
Also called: Climate Analyst, Climate and Energy Program Associate, Environmental Policy Analyst, Policy Analyst, Climate Advisor, Climate Economist, Policy Associate, Policy Research Associate.
O*NET 19-2041.01
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $82,220
- Middle half earn $64,490 to $107,970. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Most common education
- Master's Degree
- 61% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 5 of 5
- Extensive preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
- US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034
- +4% · As fast as average
- 90,300 jobs in 2024, projected 94,300. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Environmental scientists and specialists".
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- 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.
- Prepare study reports, memoranda, briefs, testimonies, or other written materials to inform government or environmental groups on environmental issues, such as climate change.
- Analyze and distill climate-related research findings to inform legislators, regulatory agencies, or other stakeholders.
- 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.
- Review existing policies or legislation to identify environmental impacts.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Reading Comprehension4.3 / 5
- Active Listening4.0 / 5
- Critical Thinking4.0 / 5
- Writing3.9 / 5
- Speaking3.9 / 5
- Active Learning3.8 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Law and Government4.0 / 5
- English Language3.8 / 5
- Mathematics3.5 / 5
- Communications and Media2.9 / 5
- Engineering and Technology2.8 / 5
- Geography2.8 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic6
- Investigative96
- Artistic35
- Social36
- Enterprising62
- Conventional51
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- policy manager · DE Führungskraft im Bereich der Unternehmenspolitik · FR directeur stratégique/directrice stratégique
- policy officer · DE Referent/Referentin · FR chargé de mission/chargée de mission
- regional development policy officer · DE Referent für Regionalentwicklung/Referentin für Regionalentwicklung · FR chargé de mission développement régional/ chargée de mission développement régional
- competition policy officer · DE Referent für Wettbewerbspolitik/Referentin für Wettbewerbspolitik · FR chargé de mission concurrence/chargée de mission concurrence
- education policy officer · DE Referent für Bildungspolitik/Referentin für Bildungspolitik · FR chargé de mission en éducation/chargée de mission en éducation
- environmental policy officer · DE Referent für Umweltpolitik/Referentin für Umweltpolitik · FR chargé de mission en environnement/chargée de mission en environnement
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Business, research and administrative professionals n.e.c. (2439)104,500 employed
- Charitable organisation managers and directors (1135)48,600 employed
- Professional/Chartered company secretaries (2435)1,700 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €61,714 |
| Germany | €59,529 |
| Ireland | €56,877 |
| Austria | €55,374 |
| Netherlands | €53,595 |
| Sweden | €43,567 |
| France | €41,515 |
| Spain | €35,735 |
| Italy | €33,649 |
| Portugal | €26,072 |
| Poland | €14,380 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +1.01. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (19-2041).
Related careers
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