Climate change and food: a green social work perspective

• Published in: Critical and radical social work Vol. 5; no. 2; pp. 145 - 162
• Main Author: Gordon, Holly L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bristol Policy Press 01.08.2017; The Policy Press
• Subjects: Climate Change; Climate justice; Ecological Justice; Environmental justice; Food; Green Social Work; Malnutrition; Meat Consumption; Natural environment; Population growth; Poverty; Production consumption relationship; Productivity; Social change; Social justice; Social work; ecological justice; meat consumption; food; green social work; climate change
• ISSN: 2049-8608; 2049-8675
• DOI: 10.1332/204986017X14933953111184

There has been an increased engagement in ecological justice as social work begins to understand how social justice and climate change are inextricably connected. Several publications and journal special editions have highlighted the vast potential for social work engagement with the natural environment. However, the importance of food is often trivialised despite the profession's direct work with service users who are most likely to be experiencing poverty, relying on food aid and experiencing nutritional deficits due to malnutrition. This article explores the production and consumption of food in relation to climate change. The article concludes by exploring possible directions for green social work in relation to food, a subject that will gain increasing significance due to a growing population and a reduction in food productivity due to climatic changes.