Imagine you have just received a phone call from one of your contacts at the provincial fish and wildlife department who says the whole department has been put on emergency alert because an oil tanker has run ashore just off the Atlantic coast. You are an environmental reporter and this is the kind of insider information you have hoped for your entire career. According to your source, the tanker is slowly leaking oil into the bay, which could threaten a rare fish habitat nearby. There have been no official announcements yet regarding the oil tanker, but you are already preparing your story.
As an environmental reporter for a large news organization, you have unique specialized skills to cover stories like this one, but you are a journalist at heart and this is exciting stuff. Time is of the essence because you want to be the one to break the story. You race to your assignment editor to tell him about the scoop. Then you call your news director to tell her you will have a major piece in a few hours and ask her to notify the network’s national news centre in Toronto. You grab your camera person and head to the scene, spending the travel time researching and reading up on the area and the fish habitat. You want to be the first media team on the scene so you can get the first pictures of the breaking story.
As exhilarated as you feel right now, you know you’re in for an exhausting week. A story this large will take over your life for the next few days: when you aren’t filming updates and patching into news broadcasts, you will be interviewing experts and residents or gathering information from technical journals and other news sources. You will continue to report on this story as it develops, from the initial tanker accident to the leak’s long-term environmental impact.
Duties vary significantly from job to job, but the following list includes typical job duties one might encounter as an environmental reporter:
If you are a high school student considering a career as an environmental geophysicist, you should have a keen interest in:
If you are a post-secondary student considering a career as an environmental geophysicist, the following programs are most applicable.
In most cases, the minimum education requirement to work as an environmental geophysicist is a graduate degree. Pursuing a master’s or doctoral degree in fields related to environmental geophysics can enhance your expertise, career prospects, and ability to contribute to the field. These advanced degrees offer specialized knowledge and skills highly valued in both the professional and academic worlds.
In many provinces, geophysicists must obtain registration and licensure with their provincial association as a Professional Geoscientist (P.Geo.). The certification process for geophysicists is similar to that of engineering professions and is typically overseen by the same regulatory body.
Our Environmental Professional (EP) designation can also help you progress in your chosen environmental career.
Technical Skills
Personal and Professional Skills
Environmental employers look for professionals who can combine technical knowledge with soft skills. Watch our free webinar “Essential Not Optional: Skills Needed to Succeed in Canada’s Environmental Industry” or take our Essential Skills courses.
As key executive leaders who shape their company’s sustainability policy, CSOs work in many different types of organizations. Common employers of CSOs include:
Search for jobs on the ECO Canada Job Board.
If you are a post-secondary student seeking a CSO role in the future, consider pursuing a university degree related to:
In addition to the educational fields mentioned above, you will also need extensive management experience to become a CSO, with well-developed human resources management and leadership skills. Consider educational seminars or post-graduate studies that will hone your analytical thinking, such as:
Our Environmental Professional (EP) designation can also help you progress in your chosen environmental career.
Technical Skills
Personal and Professional Skills
Environmental employers seek professionals who combine technical knowledge with personal and professional skills. Watch our free webinar “Essential Not Optional: Skills Needed to Succeed in Canada’s Environmental Industry” or take our Essential Skills courses.
My father did not work in an environmental occupation though he saw the world through the eyes of a naturalist. Under his guidance, I grew up enjoying the wilderness of British Columbia and learning to respect its importance. I have witnessed extraordinary population growth in the coastal region during my lifetime and the corresponding loss of wilderness areas. It hurts me to see what one species can do to the planet. As a journalist, I can inform people about these issues.
Mentors are valuable sources of inspiration and wisdom. A respected news anchor once told me "it’s not the ice time but how you play” meaning that the amount of time you are on the air is not as important as the quality of the segment. I started as a radio reporter and moved to television with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (C.B.C.) a short time later. Because my specialist area is science, medicine, environment and technology I read widely across many subjects to keep up with the latest events. I have not made a conscious effort to plan my career, however, I have made a commitment to follow the advice given to me and keep the quality of my work at a high level. Along the way my adventures included eight visits to the Arctic to report on environmental matters. The learning curve has been steep on many occasions throughout my career and I am thankful for each experience.
If you do not keep up with current events in this line of work, you are not doing your job. I read four newspapers per day, many magazines, news releases, and emails. Watching television and listening to the radio is part of my work. When I have the chance I attend the Canadian Science Writer’s Association conference. It can be very challenging to keep up because you not only have to be familiar with what is happening, you need to be anticipating what is about to happen. A reporter has to always be ready for the next assignment.
There is a growing need for accurate reporting in this area. Awareness of environmental issues stimulates more interest in the environment. I believe the various environmental crises we are facing will become more and more evident and people will start to demand action from their politicians. For myself, I would love to see a new show on the C.B.C. where environmental issues could be discussed on a weekly basis. If the news value of these issues continues to increase we may see such a program.
I believe anyone who wants to be a journalist needs a general university degree, preferably with a mix of science and the arts. It is important to learn as many subjects as possible as you never know where you might be assigned. Environmental reporters need to feel comfortable with the sciences, history, international affairs, politics, psychology, business, economics and other topics in order to cover issues properly. There are few news outlets that can afford to have one person assigned solely to the environment. It is more difficult to get a job as a journalist without a master's degree in journalism. Once you have your education locate an intern position where you can demonstrate your ability to deliver a quality news item as a reporter or as an environmental columnist.
There are no typical hours for a reporter. Most reporters are always "on" and at some psychological level, we are always looking for stories and absorbing information because you never can be sure what you will find useful. I can expect to be called at home, on weekends, even on holidays when big stories break. It’s more than worth it when I travel to important events and I am able to interview people who are making history. I have the opportunity to talk with many amazing people from various countries and I enjoy telling their stories to my audience.
I hope my reporting has helped raise awareness that we are losing the natural environment of our beautiful, livable, blue planet. We all bear individual responsibility. It is important for me to feel I’ve made a contribution, even if only one person is affected by my story.
Marine geologists are classified into the following occupational grouping:
NOC Code: 21102 – Geoscientists and oceanographers
The National Occupational Classification (NOC) provides a standardized language for describing the work performed by Canadians in the labour market. It gives statisticians, labour market analysts, career counsellors, employers, and individual job seekers a consistent way to collect data and describe and understand the nature of work within different occupations.
See ECO’s Blue National Occupational Standard for a career competency profile for a marine geologist that outlines the specific skills, knowledge, and behaviours required for individuals to perform effectively in this particular role. This profile is a benchmark for training and development, ensuring consistency and quality across professions within the blue economy.
Dans un esprit de respect, de réciprocité et de vérité, nous honorons et reconnaissons Moh’kinsstis, le territoire traditionnel du Traité 7 et les pratiques orales de la confédération des Pieds-Noirs : Siksika, Kainai, Piikani, ainsi que les nations Îyâxe Nakoda et Tsuut’ina. Nous reconnaissons que ce territoire abrite la Nation métisse de l’Alberta, la région 3 au sein de la patrie historique des Métis du Nord-Ouest. Enfin, nous reconnaissons toutes les nations qui vivent, travaillent et se divertissent sur ce territoire, et qui l’honorent et le célèbrent.
In the spirit of respect, reciprocity, and truth, we acknowledge that we live, work, and gather on the traditional territories of the peoples of Treaty 7, including the Blackfoot Confederacy—comprising the Siksika, Kainai, and Piikani Nations—as well as the Îyâxe Nakoda and Tsuut’ina Nations.
This land, known as Moh’kinsstis in the Blackfoot language and encompassing what is now Districts 5 and 6, is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3, within the historical Northwest Métis homeland.
We recognize and honour the deep connection these Nations have to the land, and we are grateful for the opportunity to share in its stewardship.
As we continue our work, we commit to learning from Indigenous knowledge systems, uplifting Indigenous voices, and fostering relationships rooted in equity, understanding, and reconciliation.
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