Organizing for dealing with Climate Change
Ahead-of-print access to research paper through November 22, 2019
By Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., 2019-11-11

The journal Environmental Justice (jEJ) is one of the most relevant pioneers in the field of Environmental Justice Research. The peer-review journal is published bimonthly, covering the impacts and environmental burdens that affect marginalized populations all over the world. Interdisciplinary repports on communities, industry, academia, government, and nonprofit organizations are considered in its editions including human health and the environment, natural science, technology, land use and urban planning, public and environmental policy, environmental history, legal history as it pertains to environmental justice, environmental sociology, anthropology of environmental, health disparities, and grassroots activities.

The jEJ is under the editorial leadership of Editor-in-Chief Sylvia Hood Washington, PhD, MSE, MPH, and senior Editor Kenneth Olden, PhD, ScD, LHD, among others. Through November 22, 2019, the jEJ gives free online access to the an ahead-of-print research pubication on climate change. Climate change and global warming gained attention at the beginning of the twenty-first century; however, it has been debated for centuries. This article presents an overview of policies related to climate change and examines the response, both domestically and internationally, by organizations and the social work profession.

Getter Marie Lemberg and April L. Murphy: Time Is Up: Social Workers Take Your Place at the Climate Table

Despite a plethora of scientific evidence to support its existence, some are still skeptical. Although individuals debate whether climate change is real, vulnerable populations are bearing the brunt of the impact as glaciers have shrunk, ice on rivers and lakes has broken up, plant and animal ranges have shifted, and trees are flowering sooner. As temperatures continue to rise, precipitation patterns change, droughts and heat waves become even more common, hurricanes become more intense, sea levels keep rising, and the Arctic becomes ice-free, poor people and people of color are losing their lives and/or their livelihoods. A number of policies have mandated that countries slow down the climate change process. The United Nations and the profession of social work have made recommendations and set goals related to climate change. However, it seems as if climate change is just a chess piece to be used in the political arena. This article presents an overview of policies related to climate change and examines the response, both domestically and internationally, by organizations and the social work profession. It appears that U.S. social workers are lagging behind the rest of the world with respect to training and preparedness for addressing climate change and its effect even though social workers are uniquely situated to address this issue given the profession's emphasis on advocacy, social justice, and community organizing. This article presents some suggestions for future research and implications for social work education.

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Image: © Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.