'We are being called to fight for climate justice'
Published by Professional Social Work magazine, 11 March, 2022
Social workers have been urged to do more to help avoid “total societal collapse” caused by the “climate catastrophe” of global warming.
The stark message was delivered at an online event held by the British Association of Social Workers on climate change to mark its annual World Social Work Month.
Speaking at the event, Extinction Rebellion activist Zoe Cohen said: “We have to look ourselves in the eye. By 2030 it will be clear whether we have gone past the tipping point of irreversible catastrophe.
“We have two to three years to save humanity. We are running out of time and the window is closing.
“Now is the time to be really bold and really brave to use all our privileges. I would appeal to anyone to join us in the streets. Risk arrest.
“If you are in any position to take action please do that as well as influencing from the inside.”
Cohen called on BASW to agree a policy for members taking part in non-violent climate demonstrations and use its influence to ensure social workers are not penalised by employers for doing so.
Last month a team of scientists on the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned time is running out for the world to act and some impacts of global warming were already irreversible.
Scientists warn the Earth’s temperature is on track to rise by three degrees with devastating effects unless there is an urgent switch away from CO2 polluting fossil fuels to renewal energy.
Cohen highlighted regular occurrence of extreme weather including last month’s storms and flooding in the UK as warning signs.
Shs said "apocalyptic” wildfires in Greece, floods in Germany and the Netherlands, extreme rainfalls in Brazil, floods in Australia and cyclones in Madagascar were other indicators that “climate breakdown” is already happening.
Wars such as that in Ukraine were so often motivated by access to fossil fuels and military conflicts increased pollution, added Cohen.
Climate change also risked “multiple breadbasket failure” with crop failure plunging millions into food poverty.
“This is about our economies and societies now,” said Cohen. “It is not just environmental. We are talking about total societal collapse in 20 years. We have a moral obligation. I don’t want to be in a situation where my daughter says, ‘You knew about this, but what did you do about it’?”
Lena Dominelli, a leading social work academic and activist on climate change, said the language used to describe the crisis needed to change to stress its urgency.
“I think the very phrase climate change puts people to sleep,” she said. “It means it is something that is evolving and not that serious.
“We need words like ‘climate catastrophe’.”
Dominelli also urged social workers, its representative bodies and trade unions to challenge policymakers and push for action.
“As social workers we do a lot of conscious raising. There are social workers in Extinction Rebellion. We just need to get that message heard. We are not prepared to sit around for ever. We need action.”
She said social workers should “harmonise” with young activists, supporting them to lobby politicians.
“We need to nurture them by giving them space to speak at decision-making forums.”
Vava Tampa, chair of BASW England, said social workers were "change makers" and as such had a role to play in avoiding climate disaster.
“The reason I became a social workers is because I wanted to change the world,” he said.
“We are being called to fight for climate justice. Human dignity is also climate justice. This is not foreign to social work. It is at the heart of what social work is about.”