Skip to main content

Environmental Economist

Social Sciences

Conduct economic analysis related to environmental protection and use of the natural environment, such as water, air, land, and renewable energy resources. Evaluate and quantify benefits, costs, incentives, and impacts of alternative options using economic principles and statistical techniques.

BusinessScience

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Write technical documents or academic articles to communicate study results or economic forecasts.
  2. 2Conduct research on economic and environmental topics, such as alternative fuel use, public and private land use, soil conservation, air and water pollution control, and endangered species protection.
  3. 3Collect and analyze data to compare the environmental implications of economic policy or practice alternatives.
  4. 4Assess the costs and benefits of various activities, policies, or regulations that affect the environment or natural resource stocks.
  5. 5Prepare and deliver presentations to communicate economic and environmental study results, to present policy recommendations, or to raise awareness of environmental consequences.
  6. 6Develop programs or policy recommendations to achieve environmental goals in cost-effective ways.
  7. 7Develop economic models, forecasts, or scenarios to predict future economic and environmental outcomes.
  8. 8Demonstrate or promote the economic benefits of sound environmental regulations.
  9. 9Conduct research to study the relationships among environmental problems and patterns of economic production and consumption.
  10. 10Perform complex, dynamic, and integrated mathematical modeling of ecological, environmental, or economic systems.
  11. 11Write social, legal, or economic impact statements to inform decision makers for natural resource policies, standards, or programs.
  12. 12Teach courses in environmental economics.
  13. 13Develop programs or policy recommendations to promote sustainability and sustainable development.
  14. 14Develop systems for collecting, analyzing, and interpreting environmental and economic data.
  15. 15Write research proposals and grant applications to obtain private or public funding for environmental and economic studies.
  16. 16Examine the exhaustibility of natural resources or the long-term costs of environmental rehabilitation.
  17. 17Monitor or analyze market and environmental trends.
  18. 18Develop environmental research project plans, including information on budgets, goals, deliverables, timelines, and resource requirements.
  19. 19Identify and recommend environmentally friendly business practices.
  20. 20Interpret indicators to ascertain the overall health of an environment.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • Energy Economist
  • Research Economist
  • Resource Economist
  • Ecological Economist
  • Agricultural Economist
  • Environmental Economist
  • Environmental Economists
  • Marine Resource Economist
  • Natural Resource Economist
  • Natural Resource Specialist

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. Typical entry

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationDoctoral degree

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

Additional MathematicsDraws directly on Mathematics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
MathematicsDraws directly on Mathematics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Principles of AccountingDraws directly on Economics and Accounting — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EconomicsDraws directly on Economics and Accounting — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EnglishDraws directly on English Language — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Mathematics93%

    Additional MathematicsMathematics

  • Economics and Accounting88%

    Principles of AccountingEconomics

  • English Language79%

    English

  • Computers and Electronics74%

    Computer Science / ICTElectrical & Electronic Eng. Studies

  • Education and Training64%
  • Law and Government61%

    History (Sejarah)

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Leading or coordinating othersHigh
  • Handling conflict situationsRarely
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
  • Noisy environmentAlmost never
  • Time spent sittingAlmost all the time
  • Time spent standingA little

Where this job is heading

Newer tasks O*NET has flagged for this occupation, a hint at how the role is changing.

  • Construct and manage economic datasets.
  • Present research at seminars and conferences.
  • Review documents written by others, such as referee reports.

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

55%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

0.17%

Of Malaysian Claude conversations, about this kind of work

Measures how much people use Claude for this work, not how many Malaysians do this job — and more AI use can mean people relying on it, not that it's replacing them.

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
See pay for a related career: Economist / Policy Analyst

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Matriculation

One or two years, heavily subsidised with allowance. Competitive, quota-based entry.

12–24 months

Asasi / Foundation

One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.

12 months

Related careers

If this interests you, these are worth a look too.

About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Environmental Economists

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org