Bringing Environmental Justice to the Practice Setting: Putting the Environment in Person-in-Environment

Abstract

Environmental degradation and climate change are a human rights concern. Climate change has been identified as the “single biggest health threat facing humanity” (WHO, Climate change and health, 2021b, para. 1), contributing to increased disease and death, severe mental health problems, loss of livelihood, and increased conflict and war. Despite the inclusion of environmental justice in CSWE’s, 2015 Educational policy and accreditation standards for baccalaureate and master’s social work programs, 2015 and 2022 Educational policy and accreditation standards for baccalaureate and master’s social work programs, 2022 Educational Policies and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) and the subsequent publication of a Curricular Guide for Environmental Justice (CSWE, Curricular guide for environmental justice, 2020), little attention has been given in the social work literature on how to include environmental issues in social work practice. In this article, we present an interview guide with resources that can be used in social work practice with individuals and families to identify concerns in the natural and built environment. This is the first step to recognizing the many ways the people with whom we work are impacted by environmental degradation, climate change, and environmental injustice. Once these impacts are identified, social work problem-solving skills can be applied to develop appropriate responses at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels.