Scope and Focus: By focusing on intersections between the Social Work Grand Challenge “Creating Social Responses to a Changing Environment” and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this special issue aims to confront social problems exacerbated by environmental injustices and the climate crisis. Transformative social responses are needed to build new partnerships, deepen engagement with impacted communities, and bolster individual, institutional, and community resources.
Topic Areas: We welcome submissions that include, but are not limited to, the following topics:
- Climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies in diverse cultural and geographical contexts
- Community-based approaches to environmental sustainability, adaptation, and resilience within the SDGs
- Innovative community-based social work practices and interventions for promoting environmental and climate justice and achieving SDGs across local and global contexts
- The rights of nature or Earth rights and their intersection with SDGs
- Analysis of social policies and programs at global, national, state, and/or local levels that address climate or environmental issues
While the Grand Challenges framework emerged from a US-centric perspective, this special issue endeavors to encompass a global collection of social work and community practice viewpoints with an emphasis on contributions from Indigenous communities. We welcome submissions that are empirical (qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods, or systematic reviews), conceptual, or theoretical. We encourage manuscripts that include community partners as co-authors.
Contributions can Include:
● Full length original research articles (8,000 words)
● From the Field (5,000 words)
● Innovations in Environmental and Climate Justice Social Work case studies (5,000 words)
● Innovations in Teaching Environmental and Climate Justice Social Work (5,000 words)
Submission Timelines and Details: Abstracts should be no longer than 500 words and submitted to jcp@acosa.org by January 31, 2025. The Guest Editors will provide abstract dispositions by March 1, 2025. Final Manuscripts should be submitted by May 1, 2025. Abstracts should clearly identify how the paper is linked to the special issue theme, provide background and purpose, conceptual and/or theoretical framework(s), data and methods of analysis and results, key conclusions, and implications. They should be labeled FOR SPECIAL ISSUE – ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE JUSTICE.
Guest Editor Information
● Dorlisa Minnick, Dept. of Social Work & Gerontology, Shippensburg, USA
● Felicia Mitchell, School of Social Work, Arizona State University, USA
● Amy Krings, College of Social Work, The Ohio State University, USA
● Shanondora Billiott, School of Social Work, Arizona State University, USA
● Cheryl Hyde, School of Social Work, Temple University, USA