Investigate the environmental impact of projects.

Investigate the environmental impact of projects. is a detailed work activity in O*NET — a concrete unit of work shared across 11 occupations and seen in 19 occupation-specific tasks. It rolls up into the broader work activity Investigate the environmental impact of industrial or development activities. in Getting Information .

Detailed work activities are the most granular shared layer in O*NET's work-activity hierarchy (Generalized → Intermediate → Detailed → occupation-specific task). The figures below describe how this activity shows up across the economy and what independent studies measure about AI and this kind of work — not a prediction that the work will be automated.

AI exposure

Of the 19 tasks under this activity that the OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rated, 17 (89%) are flagged as directly exposed to language models (E1) or exposed via model-powered tools (E2).

The Anthropic Economic Index observes real AI use on 1 of these tasks, with a mean mapped-usage share of 0.002% per task.

Exposure estimates overlap with model capabilities — whether a model could speed the task up — not whether the work will be done by software. Observed AI use is augmentation and assistance today, not jobs replaced.

Member tasks

Occupation-specific tasks O*NET maps to this detailed work activity, most important first.

• Assess the existing or potential environmental impact of land use projects on air, water, or land. · Environmental Engineers · importance 4.2 · exposure with tools
• Conduct water quality studies to identify and characterize water pollutant sources. · Water/Wastewater Engineers · importance 3.9 · exposure with tools
• Visit sites to observe environmental problems, to consult with contractors, or to monitor construction activities. · Agricultural Engineers · importance 3.9 · no direct exposure
• Assess the ability of environments to naturally remove or reduce conventional or emerging contaminants from air, water, or soil. · Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians · importance 3.6 · exposure with tools
• Identify environmental risks and develop risk management strategies for civil engineering projects. · Civil Engineers · importance 3.6 · exposure with tools
• Work with customers to assess the environmental impact of proposed construction or to develop pollution prevention programs. · Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians · importance 3.6 · exposure with tools
• Analyze environmental impact statements for transportation projects. · Transportation Engineers · importance 3.5 · exposure with tools
• Measure emission of nanodust or nanoparticles during nanocomposite or other nano-scale production processes, using systems such as aerosol detection systems. · Nanotechnology Engineering Technologists and Technicians · importance 3.5 · no direct exposure
• Conduct environmental studies on topics such as nuclear power generation, nuclear waste disposal, or nuclear weapon deployment. · Nuclear Engineers · importance 3.4 · exposure with tools
• Conduct environmental impact studies related to water and wastewater collection, treatment, or distribution. · Water/Wastewater Engineers · importance 3.4 · exposure with tools
• Compile, analyze, and interpret statistical data related to occupational illnesses and accidents. · Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors · importance 3.4 · exposure with tools
• Perform predesign services, such as feasibility or environmental impact studies. · Architects, Except Landscape and Naval · importance 3.4 · exposure with tools
• Compare the performance or environmental impact of nanomaterials by nanoparticle size, shape, or organization. · Nanotechnology Engineering Technologists and Technicians · importance 3.3 · exposure with tools
• Evaluate the power output, system cost, or environmental impact of new hydrogen or non-hydrogen fuel cell system designs. · Fuel Cell Engineers · importance 3.2 · exposure with tools
• Evaluate current or proposed manufacturing processes or practices for environmental sustainability, considering factors such as greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, water pollution, energy use, or waste creation. · Manufacturing Engineers · importance 3.1 · exposure with tools
• Conduct studies of traffic patterns or environmental conditions to identify engineering problems and assess potential project impact. · Civil Engineers · importance 3.1 · exposure with tools
• Analyze the life cycle of nanomaterials or nano-enabled products to determine environmental impact. · Nanotechnology Engineering Technologists and Technicians · importance 3.0 · exposure with tools
• Gather information related to projects' environmental sustainability or operational efficiency. · Architects, Except Landscape and Naval · importance 3.0 · exposure with tools
• Consider environmental issues when proposing product designs involving microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology. · Microsystems Engineers · exposure with tools

Occupations that perform this

• Environmental Engineers
• Agricultural Engineers
• Water/Wastewater Engineers
• Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians
• Nanotechnology Engineering Technologists and Technicians
• Nuclear Engineers
• Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors
• Architects, Except Landscape and Naval
• Fuel Cell Engineers
• Manufacturing Engineers
• Microsystems Engineers

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

@misc{singulariki-investigate-the-environmental-impact-of-projects,
  title  = {Investigate the environmental impact of projects.},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/detailed-activities/investigate-the-environmental-impact-of-projects}
}