"While the issues are complex, environmental engineers are catalysts for change, using their passion for sustainability to come up with innovative ways to address these and other challenges for the betterment of our planet."
- Program:
We are facing profound and complex challenges: The impacts of climate change on communities and ecosystems. The difficulty many people encounter trying to accessing clean water. The devastating effects of air pollution on human health. Social inequities that mean some people are more impacted by environmental issues than others.
While the issues are complex, environmental engineers are catalysts for change, using their passion for sustainability to come up with innovative ways to address these and other challenges for the betterment of our planet.
Environmental engineering focuses on maintaining and improving the health of ecosystems and communities.
It encompasses the small scale, such as remediating a specific site, and the global scale, such as understanding large-scale processes like climate change so as to advise government on appropriate and effective policies to address the climate crisis.
It’s complex work that requires a holistic and integrative approach to problem solving, one that draws on several areas of engineering, the fundamentals of science and engineering science, an understanding of policy, and strong communication skills.
What is environmental engineering and what kind of work do you do as an environmental engineer?
“Environmental engineering is about designing and implementing solutions that protect our planet and human health,” says Dr. Pranav Chintalapati, co-director of Environmental Engineering and assistant professor of teaching in Chemical and Biological Engineering. “It’s about restoring polluted ecosystems as well as designing and applying new technologies and systems to avoid the need for these solutions in the first place.”
This is an incredibly meaningful area of engineering practice, with environmental engineers significantly contributing to the betterment of public health, reducing or eliminating pollution, and promoting sustainability.
Environmental engineering Dr. Pranav Chintalapati
Environmental engineers play a crucial role in helping industries reduce their environmental impact. They are often employed directly by companies in the mining, oil and gas, agricultural, forestry, aquaculture industries, or by engineering consulting firms that work with clients in these areas. Environmental engineers might be involved designing processes that make more efficient use of energy, water and chemical inputs. And they might meet with community members and other stakeholders to incorporate their perspectives in decision-making and help generate positive environmental and social benefits from projects.
Many environmental engineers work in municipal settings, where they apply their expertise to areas like solid waste management, recycling, water management, stormwater management and energy conservation.
“Environmental engineers also work in the area of governance and accountability,” says Dr. Tamara Etmannski, co-director of Environmental Engineering and assistant professor of teaching in Civil Engineering. “They help set regulations and policies and can be involved to ensure compliance.”
Others work on the technology side to design new products that can help reduce environmental impacts. This could include UV reactors to treat water so it is safe for drinking, technology to remove “forever chemicals” from water or air filters that capture harmful particulates before they are released to the environment.
Wherever they work, environmental engineers are solving complex problems that involve people.
Whether it’s developing solutions to improve access to clean water, remediating a site, or optimizing recycling rates, environmental engineers need to combine technical knowledge with strong communication skills to bring together diverse viewpoints and develop solutions that work for all stakeholders and rightsholders.
A growing demand for environmental engineers
“Environmental engineers are in high demand,” says Dr. Chintalapati. “Stats out of the US show that this is ranked as one of the best engineering jobs based on future prospects, wage potential, employment and job stability, with a median US salary of $96,530 ($135,000 Canadian) in 2024. Entry-level positions, particularly with industry employers, also pay very well.”
What broader trends are impacting environmental engineering?
Environmental issues are in much greater focus than they’ve ever been historically. Regulations and policies reflect the growing understanding of the need to reduce the negative impacts of energy production, industry development, land use and other activities.
Both businesses and governments are required by policy and regulations to report out on their environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance.
Environmental engineers can play important roles in setting criteria, developing plans to improve performance and reporting on performance in compliance with regulatory requirements.
Net zero waste goals, such as those set by the City of Vancouver, are increasingly common. Achieving these targets requires rethinking waste management, supporting the shift to a circular economy and optimizing recycling rates. Environmental engineers play a crucial leadership role within this context, applying their multidisciplinary knowledge and holistic systems perspective to develop new solutions and processes.
City of Vancouver - Net Zero Circular Economy
What’s it like to study environmental engineering at UBC?
“The students who join our program share a strong desire to make a difference in the world,” says Dr. Chintalapati. “We have a nice cohort size where students can get to know each other well. It also enables us to offer smaller classes where there is time for interactive and discussion-based learning. Our students have a lot of fun together, historically organizing camping trips and other adventures.”
Hands-on design-based learning is embedded into the curriculum. In each year of the program, students complete a design course that equips them to work on real-world projects and apply what they’ve learned in their courses.
Some recent second-year projects have included collaborating with the School Of Architecture And Landscape Architecture to redesign a water retention pond, designing an anaerobic digestion facility to convert organic waste into biogas for a client in Bella Coola, coming up with a process to use seaweed alginate to replace petroleum-based products, and developing a bioremediation plan for wildfire-affected areas in Fort McMurray.
Environmental engineering students who choose co-op are highly sought after by employers in both the public and private sectors.
Co-op is also a great way for students to explore what it’s like to work in different industries and contexts, gaining relevant experience that can prove invaluable when applying for a job after graduation.
How does environmental engineering differ from other engineering areas?
Environmental engineering has many close connections with other engineering programs, most specifically with civil engineering and chemical and biological engineering. That’s reflected in the curriculum at UBC, which requires students to take courses from these program areas.
Yet environmental engineering goes beyond traditional engineering disciplines in both its impact and focus. “It’s about the magnitude of impact you want to have,” says Dr. Etmannski.
“So where chemical engineering might have an impact on the industrial level and civil engineering is very infrastructure focused, environmental engineering takes a global systems approach and works within a deep understanding of the complex interactions of these systems.”
She also argues that environmental engineering offers perspective needed achieve meaningful change.
“The systems thinking aspect of this program is absolutely key,” says Dr. Etmannski. “Many other engineering programs are more product focused, which puts certain boundaries around the design constraints, whether it’s designing a bridge, robotic arm or computer software. But in environmental engineering, you can’t think like that. The boundary is the earth. So there’s a need to look at how systems interconnect and to consider impacts across future generations.”
Interested?
Learn more about environmental engineering and how it could be a great choice for you.
- Watch a video to learn more about our program
- Explore some of the career opportunities open to you as an environmental engineer
- Take a look at the capstone projects past students have worked on by filtering your search for “environmental engineering”
- Read profiles of current environmental engineering students and alumni by filtering your search for “environmental engineering”
There are lots of engineering design teams that require the expertise of environmental engineering students
