AI Automation Index

Will AI Replace Climate Change Policy Analysts?

Task-level automation exposure for Climate Change Policy Analysts: 14 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.

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Developed & audited by Gini Loh

Automation Exposure

61% weighted task index

14 of 14 tasks scored

Median Salary

$82,220 / year

BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation

Employment Level

Medium

89,250 people hold this job — size, not growth

Projected 2025–35

+6.1% employment change

7,300 openings a year · BLS line item

Pay by state

BLS OEWS publishes 54 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.

$53,030 – $132,620

Highest medians

District of Columbia $132,620

California $106,510

Rhode Island $100,730

Massachusetts $100,640

Washington $98,300

Lowest medians

Puerto Rico $53,030

Virgin Islands $53,830

Arkansas $57,220

Mississippi $57,780

Florida $60,830

State figures come from the 19-2041 row in the May 2025 state panel. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.

What the score is made of

Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.

Automation potential 61%

Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.

Physical work 0%

Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.

Judgment & influence 52%

Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.

Routine administration 26%

Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.

Rewritten by O*NET 0%

Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.

Consequence of error 0/100 Low

O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.

Constituent Task Mix

14 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.

High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 58%

8 tasks

Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 42%

6 tasks

Low exposure (below 35%) 0%

0 tasks

How would you survive?

Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.

Simulate Upskilling →

Constituent Tasks

#16849 · Core · 60% automatable

Provide analytical support for policy briefs related to renewable energy, energy efficiency, or climate change.

decision support — Policy analysis aided, but civic judgment is human

Evaluate civic projects or public policies.

#16853 · Core · 50% automatable

Propose new or modified policies involving use of traditional and alternative fuels, transportation of goods, and other factors relating to climate and climate change.

decision support — Sustainability plans drafted; organizational buy-in human

Develop environmental sustainability plans or projects.

#16850 · Core · 72% automatable

Prepare study reports, memoranda, briefs, testimonies, or other written materials to inform government or environmental groups on environmental issues, such as climate change.

text generation — Environmental reports drafted; human verifies data

Prepare research or technical reports on environmental issues.

#16854 · Core · 64% automatable

Analyze and distill climate-related research findings to inform legislators, regulatory agencies, or other stakeholders.

data analysis — Interprets data; domain expert validates meaning

Conduct climatological research. Interpret research or operational data.

#16851 · Core · 55% automatable

Make legislative recommendations related to climate change or environmental management, based on climate change policies, principles, programs, practices, and processes.

decision support — Policy analysis drafted; political judgment human

Advise others on matters of public policy.

#16843 · Core · 62% automatable

Present climate-related information at public interest, governmental, or other meetings.

text generation — AI summarizes research results; human validates

Communicate results of environmental research.

#16846 · Core · 78% automatable

Gather and review climate-related studies from government agencies, research laboratories, and other organizations.

data analysis — Environmental data compilation, human validates sources

Compile environmental or climatological data.

#16848 · Core · 62% automatable

Review existing policies or legislation to identify environmental impacts.

data analysis — Regulatory impact appraisal; human owns policy call

Appraise environmental impact of regulations or policies.

#16842 · Core · 58% automatable

Promote initiatives to mitigate climate change with government or environmental groups.

text generation — Campaign content drafted; human leads advocacy

Promote environmental sustainability or conservation initiatives.

#16852 · Core · 58% automatable

Research policies, practices, or procedures for climate or environmental management.

data analysis — Climate data analysis aided; instrument networks human

Conduct climatological research.

#16841 · Core · 72% automatable

Write reports or academic papers to communicate findings of climate-related studies.

text generation — Environmental reports drafted; human verifies data

Prepare research or technical reports on environmental issues.

#16847 · Core · 50% automatable

Develop, or contribute to the development of, educational or outreach programs on the environment or climate change.

decision support — Drafts program outlines; institutional design and approval human

Develop educational programs.

#16844 · Core · 59% automatable

Present and defend proposals for climate change research projects.

text generation — Draft proposal and grant documents for review

Prepare proposal documents or grant applications. Promote environmental sustainability or conservation initiatives.

#16845 · Core · 60% automatable

Prepare grant applications to obtain funding for programs related to climate change, environmental management, or sustainability.

text generation — Draft proposal and grant documents for review

Prepare proposal documents or grant applications.

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Community Sentiment

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Do you agree with the AI automation risk score calculated for this occupation?

Method

How this was scored

1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.

Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.

Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast

See the full method →

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