Environmental Science and Services Industry in India. Update 2023.

The information here is just based on my knowledge and academic and professional experiences across India and the US.

What is Environment Science and Services?

ESS is an confluence of a lot of different bodies of knowledge. Broadly speaking, there are 4 fields of knowledge.

1.    Engineering – transportation, mobility, EVs, energy generation, energy distribution, air quality, GIS, solar, wind

2.    Policy Research – public policy research governance; primarily a convergence of #3 and #4

3.    Scientific Research – wildlife, conservation, ecology, human-animal conflicts, climate science, marine biology, genomics, and other lab or field-based research

4.    Urban Planning and Services – implementation and management of land use policies, waste management, aquatic resources

The Demand

One of the reasons is the effects of climate change, which will require an ever-increasing number of scientists and professionals working towards climate solutions and sustainability. A challenge compounded by the lack of urban planning our cities have had in our short history of independence. So the demand for subject matter experts is there, and will be there.

The other equally important reason I believe is the National Smart Cities Mission (NSCM). Commissioned in 2015, one of the key mission objectives includes Sustainability. In a nutshell, the Mission aims to develop and implement sustainable urban planning to improve the overall quality of life. So quite a bit of funding has been allocated towards this Mission, which includes allocations for public-private partnerships.

According to a recent article, the Mission has around 7,800 projects worth Rs 1.8 lakh crore. Some of that funding is coming from the World Bank, as part of the proposed MoHUA-World Bank India Smart Cities Program (ISCP). The support of a global institution such as the World Bank not only provides credibility to the NSCM, but underlines the importance of environmental science and services in urban planning for rapidly-growing economies such as India.

The Pay

That being said, the pay in this field does tend to be lower than in other common professions. This obviously depends on which branch of the industry you are in. But even in an industrialized economy such as the US, I have noticed pay scales at least 20%-30% less than common engineering jobs.

The effort vs. (monetary) reward scale is indeed skewed. So before someone enters the industry, they need to be aware of this fact, and be okay with it. Which also means that pay scales tend to be even lower in India.

Who is involved?

I am including just some of the names of government agencies and companies involved in this field that I have come across. Along with the names of the agencies, I have included which field (from #1-  #4 above) are they primarily involved with, to the best of my knowledge.

Government/Public Agencies in India

I tend to put a lot of emphasis on government entities because in the end, it is those government agencies (local, city, state, central/federal) that have the ultimate decision-making power when it comes to finding that balance between urban growth and environmental impacts.

Here are some agencies that I know are pretty active and are taking this challenge head-on (there may be others),  it may be worthwhile to follow their activities. Quite a few of them also have international collaborations, so there are plenty of learning and growth opportunities.

CITIIS Cities Investments to Innovate Integrate and Sustain (#2)

Indian Meteorological Department (#1, #4)

Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (#2)

Namami Gange, under the National Mission for Clean Ganga (#2, #4)

National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) (#3)

National Insitute of Oceanography (#3)

NIUA National Institute of Urban Affairs (#2)

NIUA is a key organization for the environmental industry in India. They have a handful of Centres that tackle different aspects of the industry. The most interesting one for me has been the C-Cube, Climate Centre for Cities.

Private Companies

I have come across quite a few private companies involved in urban planning, environmental planning, air quality, water quality, transportation, and the energy sector. Some international firms have operations in India, with a lot of their focus on transportation and air quality.

Then there are some mid-size or relatively small firms, with quite a few of them working on policy research. Some of them also work with local governments through Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This should be a really growing space, as environmental challenges differ from region to region and require tailored solutions, and the local governments seem to acknowledge this.

AlphaMERS (#4)

Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) (#3)

Burns & McDonnell India (#1)

Center for Policy Research (#2)

Center for Public Policy Research (#2)

Center for Science and Environment (CSE India) (#2)

Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP) (#2)

Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS) (#3)

Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) (#2)

ITDP (#1)

Observer Research Foundation (#2)

OMCAR Foundation (#3)

TERI The Energy and Resources Institute (#3, #4)

WRI India (#4)

My opinion:

The Environmental Science and Services (ESS) industry in India is very much in it's nascent stages, primarily owing to the fact that the country has only been independent for just over seven decades. A relatively short time compared to other major global economies. Whic means that the industry is just trying to establish itself, and the focus will be on research, regulatory planning, and implementation.

So there has never been a better time to enter this industry, be it in academia as a Bachelors/Undergraduate, Masters/Postgraduate, or PhD/Doctorate level, or as a working professional in the Private or Public sector. I have met people in the industry who came from various academic backgrounds and carve their own path.For the most part, it is a bit hard(er) to find a job, and relatively speaking, you probably won’t be earning as much as your peers (as of 2023).

The ESS is a constantly evolving field trying to address constantly evolving environmental problems. And it takes a multi-pronged approach to tackle the scientific and regulatory challenges that exist. A need for accountants, biologists, civil engineers, software engineers, planners, scientists, and more in the environmental science and services industry always exists.

Whether you are a young academic or professional, or just someone interested in getting know about the environmental industry in India, I hope this serves as a good starting point.

Feel free to reach out with latest news from the industry, if you know of other entities involved, or any thoughts, ideas, suggestions, or questions!