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The impacts of climate change

Climate change is one of the most extreme challenges that humanity has ever faced. The Earth is facing increasing difficulty to maintain the wellbeing of the people living on it. Some evidence of climate change experienced around the world includes increasing average global temperature, rising sea levels and carbon dioxide levels, wildfires, melting polar ice caps and glaciers, food insecurity, changes in average rainfall patterns (i.e. drought or flooding), and increasing frequency of extreme weather events (1). Climate change is also a 鈥渃risis multiplier鈥�, meaning it 鈥渃an lead to, or exacerbate, conflict鈥� (2). We understand that the causes of climate change, and other damages to the environment such as deforestation, loss of biodiversity, species extinction, overpopulation, pollution, and desertification, are mostly anthropogenic, meaning that they are caused by human activity, namely the increased concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. These crises directly increase the social, emotional, economic and ecological challenges of people, communities and the natural world.

There are uncertainties about whether it鈥檚 too late to mitigate the most dangerous effects of climate change. argue we鈥檝e already done too much damage or that we鈥檙e , while urge us not to lose hope. We should not only focus on mitigation, but also on climate adaptation and building people鈥檚 resilience to the impacts of a changing climate. The UN Environment (2019) report titled 鈥淗ealthy planet, healthy people鈥� highlights the interconnectedness between the warming planet and the people living on it. Their report focuses on the reciprocal relationship humanity has with the planet and how the health of both suffers if the health of one suffers (3). Climate change disproportionally affects those in marginalised, vulnerable, or poor situations with whom the social work profession most often works, such as Indigenous peoples, older people, women, people living in rural areas, etc. As it is a matter of social and environmental justice which directly links to the values, ethics and skill set of the social work profession, social workers are not only well placed, but mandated to advocate for people and the environment, and to support communities to build resilience and hopefulness in the face of climate change (4; 5; 6). It is, therefore, critical for social workers to incorporate the natural environment into our work, education and research, and to play a major role in the sustainability transition to tackle the impacts of climate change.

Could ecosocial work be part of the solution?

Shifting our perspective from anthropocentric to ecocentric is vital on this pathway to a more just, sustainable and fair world for current and future generations. With the concept of leaving no-one behind, ecosocial work offers a transformative way for social work to tackle environmental threats to human wellbeing. Recognising we are all interconnected and deeply embedded as human and non-human animals within the living natural world, ecosocial work addresses concerns for the natural environment and the direct connection to the wellbeing of humans. Ecosocial work attempts to widen the moral and ethical scope within social work to extend to the natural environment and ecosystem of those we support by way of holism, not just the mainstream person-in-environment (meaning social, political and economic environment) approach that has dominated social work historically (7).

Although currently sitting firmly on the fringe, ecosocial work should no longer be viewed as a specialty within social work, but rather as a lens from which to approach all social issues, structures and problems, and to conduct social work practice. Social systems that are intertwined with, and support the natural environment, such as worldviews, culture, economics, politics, family, and community, each contribute to overall global sustainability, therefore the social aspect of sustainability must not be forgotten.

Ecosocial work can help to increase community resilience and adaptation. Examples of ecosocial work in practice include environmental activism, policy and political advocacy and lobbying, decolonising social work, supporting those impacted by climate change such as natural disaster survivors and climate migrants, partnering with Indigenous experts, centring Indigenous knowledges, educating communities on adaptation techniques, and promoting nature-based interventions, community development initiatives and local solutions to environmental degradation (8).

Recommendations

Social workers have a responsibility to stay informed about climate change and its effects on the people we work with, and the interdependency between humans and the natural world. Social workers must incorporate the natural environment and our oneness with it into our research, education and practice. If we, as social workers and community members, adapt our behaviour and become more resilient, honour the significance and wisdom of Indigenous peoples, and affect change on a macro level, we do stand a chance to leave this beautiful earth a better place for future inhabitants.

References

1. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2022). Global Warming of 1.5掳C: IPCC Special Report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5掳C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty. Cambridge University Press.

2. International Federation of Social Workers. (2022). The role of social workers in advancing a new eco-social world. IFSW.

3. UN Environment. (2019). Global environment outlook (6th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

4. Masoga, M. A., & Shokane, A. L. (2018). Towards an integration of Indigenous knowledge and social work strategies in coping with climate change: An afro-sensed approach. In M. Powers, & M. Rinkel (Eds.), Promoting community and environmental sustainability: A workbook for global social workers and educators. Volume 2 (pp. 93-104). IFSW.

5. McLafferty Bell, F., Dennis, M. K., & Krings, A. (2019). Collective survival strategies and anti-colonial practice in ecosocial work. Journal of Community Practice, 27(3鈥�4), 279鈥�295.

6. Powers, M., Rinkel, M., & Kumar, P. (2021). Co-creating a 鈥渟ustainable new normal鈥� for social work and beyond: Embracing an ecosocial worldview. Sustainability, 13(19), 1-14.

7. Matthies, A.-L., & N盲rhi, K. (2016). The ecosocial transition of societies: The contribution of social work and social policy. Routledge.

8. Boddy, J., Macfarlane, S., & Greenslade, L. (2018). Social work and the natural environment: Embedding content across curricula. Australian Social Work, 71(3), 367鈥�375.

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