<p>And the same site also says:</p>
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<p>That’s where the vast majority of EnvE jobs are, and that’s what EnvE degree programs focus on. In practice, there are few EnvEs whose jobs are to address, say, global warming or ozone depletion. </p>
<p>My sense is that a lot of prospective college students think that they are interested in environmental engineering, because they just assume that it has do with cool issues like global warming, carbon sequestration, electric cars, renewable energy sources, etc.</p>
<p>Then many of them lose interest when they realize that environmental engineering is more about less sexy concerns like water purification, sewage treatment, building ventilation, landfill design, smokestack emissions, etc. So the number of students that actually complete EnvE programs is less than you might expect, based on initial interest.</p>
<p>I don’t see any signs that US society is relaxing its standards for, say, tap water or waste disposal. Americans take it for granted that their tap water is clean and safe, that their poop vanishes forever down toilets, and that their garbage gets taken away and is never seen again. Nobody, regardless of political leanings, wants this to change. </p>
<p>And that means plenty of work for EnvEs. For example, how old are the water treatment and sewage treatment plants in your community? Many were built in the postwar boom years of the 1950s and 1960s – with 50-year design life expectancies.</p>
<p>The recent change in administrations probably is a plus for EnvEs, as well as civil engineers in general. But this is primarily because of the renewed focus on infrastructure development. Realistically, infrastructure spending was a low priority for the previous administration (despite the fact that it inherited a large budget surplus). It’s getting more attention in the present administration (despite the fact that it inherited a large budget deficit).</p>