Reimagining Macro Social Work to Advance Environmental Justice and Health Equity in the Climate Crisis

The climate crisis, which is currently recognized as a "threat multiplier" by the United Nations, exacerbates health disparities, deepens structural inequities, and often disproportionately affects marginalized communities globally. While social work values maintain a commitment to social justice, dignity and worth of the person and integrity, macro-level interventions remain constrained by national and neoliberal paradigms. These limitthe profession's capacity to address global and transnational challenges such as disaster capitalism, food insecurity, and the financialization and dispossession of essential resources. As the climate crisis deepens, macro social work should reconfigure its theoretical commitments and practical applications to center environmental justice and health equity. This paper discusses the limitations of macro social work in addressing climate-induced social and public health crises and proposes a reimagining of macro practice through intersectional and interdisciplinary lenses to interrogate the structural roots of these crises.

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Publication Details

Journal
Social Work in Public Health
Published
2025-08-17
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/19371918.2025.2547006
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
2.82
Controls
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article

Reimagining Macro Social Work to Advance Environmental Justice and Health Equity in the Climate Crisis

Neena Albarus
1 citations
Social Work in Public Health
Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations
2.82
article

Reimagining Macro Social Work to Advance Environmental Justice and Health Equity in the Climate Crisis

Neena Albarus
article en
1 citations

Abstract

The climate crisis, which is currently recognized as a "threat multiplier" by the United Nations, exacerbates health disparities, deepens structural inequities, and often disproportionately affects marginalized communities globally. While social work values maintain a commitment to social justice, dignity and worth of the person and integrity, macro-level interventions remain constrained by national and neoliberal paradigms. These limitthe profession's capacity to address global and transnational challenges such as disaster capitalism, food insecurity, and the financialization and dispossession of essential resources. As the climate crisis deepens, macro social work should reconfigure its theoretical commitments and practical applications to center environmental justice and health equity. This paper discusses the limitations of macro social work in addressing climate-induced social and public health crises and proposes a reimagining of macro practice through intersectional and interdisciplinary lenses to interrogate the structural roots of these crises.

Social Work in Public HealthVol. 41(3)
University of California System (US), University of California, Berkeley (US)
Climate action
Openalex Percentile: Top 9%
Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations
2.82
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