How can social workers address climate change?

3 Climate change action

The second step to address climate change as a social worker is to take action in your practice, education, and advocacy. You can do this by integrating climate change into your assessment, intervention, and evaluation processes, as well as your supervision and continuing education. Additionally, you can use your skills and values to promote climate justice and sustainability in your organizations, networks, and policies. For example, you can support clients and communities to cope with the effects of climate change such as disasters, displacement, and mental health issues. You can also empower clients and communities to participate in climate change mitigation and adaptation initiatives like renewable energy, conservation, and community-based adaptation. Moreover, you can collaborate with other professionals and sectors to address the root causes of climate change such as poverty, inequality, and consumption. Finally, you can advocate for climate change policies and practices that are socially and environmentally just like carbon pricing, green jobs, and human rights protection.

4 Climate change challenges

The third step to address climate change as a social worker is to acknowledge and overcome the challenges and barriers that you may face in your work. You may encounter resistance, denial, or apathy from some clients, colleagues, or policymakers who do not see climate change as a relevant or urgent issue. You may also face ethical dilemmas, resource constraints, or burnout from dealing with the complexity and uncertainty of climate change. To overcome these challenges, you need to seek support, guidance, and collaboration from your supervisors, mentors, and peers, as well as from other disciplines and movements that share your vision and values.

5 Climate change opportunities

As a social worker, recognizing and seizing the opportunities and benefits that climate change can offer is the fourth step to address climate change. Climate change can be used as a catalyst and platform to enhance social work practice, education, and advocacy, as well as a source and driver of innovation, creativity, and transformation in the profession, discipline, and society. Examples of climate change opportunities in social work include developing new skills, knowledge, and methods to meet emerging needs; expanding scope, reach, and impact of practice, education, and advocacy; strengthening identity, values, and principles; and contributing to global efforts to combat climate change.

6 Climate change resources

As a social worker, the fifth and final step to address climate change is to access and utilize the resources and tools that are available. These can be found on the websites of organizations, networks, and institutions such as the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW), the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW), and the Climate Social Work Network (CSWN). IFSW has a Global Statement of Ethical Principles, a Global Definition of Social Work, and a Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development that include climate change. IASSW has a Global Standards for Social Work Education and Training, a Global Social Work Research Agenda, and a Global Social Work Dictionary that include climate change as a core component. CSWN is a global network of social work educators, practitioners, researchers, and students who are interested in climate change. This network provides a platform for sharing, learning, and collaborating on climate change issues. By following these five steps, you can address climate change as a social worker in an effective way while joining the growing community of social workers who are making a difference in the world.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?