With emerging science, technology and regulation, jobs in the environment sector are never static. This webinar series, "A day in the life" will share stories from environmental professionals about how work has evolved and how it may change in the future.

In this webinar, Jonathan Atkinson, Technical Director at CL:AIRE, will share his perspective on how work has changed in the land sector, using his career to tell the story of society's evolving understanding of environmental issues. For a perspective on the sustainability sector, sign up for Kripa Dwarakanath's contribution to the series.

This webinar series is part of the IES's Future of ES23 horizon scanning and foresight project, bringing together environmental experts to reflect on the future of the environmental sciences.

About Jonathan

Having spent most of his youth in places like Africa, Chile and Fiji, after his degree in Environmental Sciences at Plymouth and postgrad Diploma in Soil and Water Engineering at Silsoe, Jonathan continued his travels by doing Voluntary Service Overseas in the Philippines and two short stints on soil projects in Papua New Guinea and Burkina Faso. On returning to the UK he started work with the Kent County Council geotechnical group and then the Waste regulation group. He was then relocated into the Environment Agency after it was formed in 1996. He has attended and presented at several international conferences in the UK, France and Taiwan.

After 34 years in the Environment Agency Jonathan has recently moved to work with CL:AIRE, an industry leading organisation dealing with best practice guidance and frameworks for positive materials management on sustainable development sites, enabling land contamination issues to be dealt with comprehensively. 

He has worked on risk assessment of developed closed landfill sites, landfill engineering and environmental controls enforcement on permitted sites, and a variety of land contamination projects. He was part of a team of Groundwater & Contaminated Land specialists, and he has been a national advisor on a number of specific projects related to soil remediation and waste management, including DoWCoP and emerging substances like PFAS. He is a Chartered Environmentalist and a Member of the Institution of Environmental Sciences.