Sustainability: Creating Social Responses to a Changing Environment as a Grand Challenge

Abstract

Creating social responses to a changing environment is one of twelve Grand Challenges for Social Work (GCSW) that were launched in 2015 by the American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare to use science, innovation, and new forms of collaboration to accelerate progress toward solving major social problems. One of these grand challenges pertains to the social problems created by human-caused changes in the physical environment. Along with genetic factors, human evolution has largely been driven by changes in our environment brought about by natural geophysical and biological processes and human activity, including urbanization and migration. In recent years, human activity has led to unprecedented levels of environmental degradation and unsustainable trends in environmental problems such as air pollution, water shortages, extreme weather events, and sea-level rise threatening the health, well-being, and survival of people and entire ecosystems. Moreover, these changes have not been distributed equally or equitably. Environmental change is fundamentally a social justice issue because climate change and other forms of environmental degradation disproportionately affect marginalized populations, including ethnic and racial minorities, women, children, older adults, people living in poverty, individuals with a history of mental or behavioral health problems, and people with disabilities as well as low-income, geographically vulnerable communities and nations. Disproportionate impacts include climate-related morbidity and mortality; population dislocation, notably rural to urban “climigration,” to areas less impacted by climate change; disruptions in employment and income; escalating food and water insecurity; heightened risks of gendered violence; and the devastating effect of extreme weather events. To ensure an environmentally sustainable and healthy world for all, solutions are urgently needed that are socially and culturally responsive, ethical, and equitable. The grand challenge to create social responses to a changing environment is perhaps the only one that is global in scope. The goals of this grand challenge are to: (1) adopt and implement an evidence-based approach to disaster preparedness and response; (2) develop policies and practices targeting environmentally induced migration and population displacement; (3) strengthen equity-oriented urban resilience policies and practices and proactively engage marginalized communities in adaptation planning; and (4) engage with individuals, groups, and communities in learning about and crafting responses to the local impacts of global changes. The grand challenge is intended to develop a workforce of social workers to address these changes through partnerships with vulnerable, under-resourced communities and collaborations with researchers from other disciplines, practitioners, and policymakers. This article summaries work that has served as the foundation for social work research, policy, and practice related to environmental changes with a specific focus on climate change, urbanization, environmental justice, and ecosocial work. It also summarizes work on these issues that has been specifically inspired by the social work grand change to create social responses to environmental change.