Local to Global Intersections of Environmental Justice, Social Practice, and Climate Change

Abstract

Environmental injustice is worsening, and the largest adverse impacts are suffered by the lowest-income communities globally (IPCC, 2024). Yet there is a dearth of effective strategies to incorporate environmental justice into the work of scholar-practitioners, interdisciplinary education, and transformative practice. This article explores environmental injustice as a compounding factor in social challenges at macro and micro scales. We introduce three lenses through which to view the social-ecological relationships that cause and exacerbate environmental injustice. These lenses also serve as guideposts for recognizing and restoring human-environment relationships and achieving the promise of environmental justice. They are the macro level social-ecological systems lens, the community level “poor pay more” lens, and individual scale eco-anxiety and Solastalgia lenses. These lenses may serve as guides for social work practitioners, researchers, educators, and students.