The Roles & Responsibilities of an Environmental Consultant

Posted by Tanya Sharma on August 20th, 2022

There is no surprise in the fact that India has become a victim of multiple environmental hazards, some of the top woes being global warming and climate change, air pollution, water scarcity and contamination, deforestation, and rapidly rising population. As such, the need of the hour is to eliminate or reduce the impact of these environmental problems so as to make sure that life on this planet continues to survive and thrive.

To make this possible, support is required from experts who work in close coordination with the authorities to create, analyze, and enforce environmental policies against industrial hazards and in support of the masses. Likewise, they associate themselves with individual commercial units as well. These experts are popularly known as Environmental Consultants.

So today, in this article below, we, at the Tribhuvan College of Environment & Development Sciences, one of the most well-known environmental science colleges in Delhi NCR, will shed light on what exactly an environmental consultant does and what makes his role so very crucial for the environment.

What are the Environmental Consultants expected to do?

Popularly known as earth scientists, environmental consultants are expected to display a high level of data analysis skills. While working in close coordination with clients from different sectors and industries, every environmental consultant should be able to break down complex information to deliver an easily understandable outcome.

Knowledge of graphs, charts, and spreadsheets is necessary for every environmental consultant.  Throughout your tenure as an environmental consultant, your focus should remain on helping your clients to address any environmental concerns that they may be experiencing by allowing them to lower the impact in areas like air quality, water pollution, and waste management.

A degree in biology, chemistry, geology, or environmental sciences is sufficient for you to step into the role of an environmental consultant. However, knowledge of business, communication, and public relations shall only act as an added advantage.

Role of an Environmental Consultant:

• Research-Driven Role

It is not easy to work as an environmental consultant in the absence of a strong drive for research. In this role, you will have to perform both desk-based and on-the-field research. Both these kinds of research are important to environmental consultants because they help in deriving data-backed and meaningful conclusions.

At the Tribhuvan College of Environment & Development Sciences, we help our students understand the importance of research in decision-making and problem-solving, thus making them more capable and accepting of the branch of research.

• On-Point Assessment & Advisory Services:

If a commercial unit ends up exceeding the pre-set limits laid down by government authorities, especially regarding the level of harmful emissions let out, the unit in question would be subjected to a heavy penalty. To avoid this, it is necessary that the industrial units take assistance in the form of assessment and advisory services from experts, in this case, Environmental Consultants.

• Expert Guidance:

At times, commercial units find themselves in trouble, which, if not attended to by an expert, can lead to grave problems that would certainly not be in the interest of the unit. There is a possibility of the commercial unit being caught amidst a legal tussle. There is an equivalent level of possibility that the firm would have to pay fines, be subjected to legal action, or come up with a valid explanation regarding misguided transactions. Here again, the expertise and experience that an environmental consultant brings along would end up being helpful for the commercial unit in question.

• Data Analysis and Deployment:

Environmental Consultants can and should never go wrong with their analysis. Hence, it is important that they work closely around gathering, segmenting, and analyzing data, which would then work as the starting point for data deployment and decision making, which is again backed by data.

This is one of the primary reasons as to why we, at the Tribhuvan College of Environment & Development Sciences, one of the most trusted environmental science colleges in Delhi NCR, keep our students reminded about the importance of data and the dreadful repercussions that turning a blind eye towards data can attract.

Final Thoughts:

With India’s environmental issues at its peak, the need of the hour is to reduce the impact and also eliminate environmental hazards that are damage-oriented and problem-prone. To deal with this, it is necessary to assess the aspects that may be further worsening the environmental condition. This is exactly where an environmental consultant steps into the picture and aids commercial units and industries to function pro-environment.

Hence, it is safe to state that environmental consultants play dual roles, one of which is to assist clients in functioning within the ambit of the environment and the other to protect the environment. If this job role sounds interesting to you, admitting yourself to the Tribhuvan College of Environment & Development Sciences should work as a great starting point. In fact, as you march towards this goal of yours, through your course of study at the Tribhuvan College of Environment & Development Sciences, you will be exposed to multiple environmental dimensions, which would not just make you a fantastic environmental consultant, but also a responsible individual.