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.

Most important skills

Reading Comprehension
Active Listening
Critical Thinking
Writing
Speaking
Active Learning
Complex Problem Solving
Systems Evaluation

Key knowledge

Law and Government
English Language
Mathematics
Communications and Media
Engineering and Technology
Geography
Administration and Management
Physics

What the work involves

Write reports or academic papers to communicate findings of climate-related studies.
Promote initiatives to mitigate climate change with government or environmental groups.
Present climate-related information at public interest, governmental, or other meetings.
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.
Gather and review climate-related studies from government agencies, research laboratories, and other organizations.
Develop, or contribute to the development of, educational or outreach programs on the environment or climate change.
Review existing policies or legislation to identify environmental impacts.

Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Investigative, Enterprising, Conventional.

Qualifications and licensing

Most common education: Master's Degree (60.9% of respondents)
Related experience: Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years (39.1%)
On-the-job training: Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year (26.1%)
Preparation level: O*NET job zone 5: Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Licensing: Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.

Check before planning

Licensing for Climate Change Policy Analysts is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Projection education uses SOC 19-2041 (detailed_parent); it may describe a broader group.

Limits

Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0

Work environment

How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).

Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.

Rankings compare typical U.S. occupation-level work conditions; individual jobs and employers vary. Data: O*NET 31.0 Work Context and BLS wages (May 2025).
Condition	Level	Compared with other occupations	Most common answer (O*NET survey)
Contact with others	Low	Lower on contact with others than 68% of occupations compared	48% of surveyed respondents chose “Contact with others most of the time”
Dealing with the public	Low	Lower on dealing with the public than 62% of occupations compared	43% of surveyed respondents chose “Important”
Teamwork	High	Higher on teamwork than 69% of occupations compared	52% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important”
Freedom to make decisions	Moderate	Lower on freedom to make decisions than 50% of occupations compared	65% of surveyed respondents chose “Some freedom”
Time pressure	Very low	Lower on time pressure than 88% of occupations compared	52% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week”
Conflict situations	Very low	Lower on conflict situations than 87% of occupations compared	52% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month”
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people	Very low	Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 93% of occupations compared	87% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month”
Consequence of error	Very low	Lower on consequence of error than 91% of occupations compared	39% of surveyed respondents chose “Not serious at all”

Work-pressure profile

Time pressure: very low
Conflict situations: very low
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: very low
Consequence of error: very low

Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.

Full answer distributions