1st Edition
Social Work and Climate Justice International Perspectives
This book argues that climate justice is an urgent and defining global challenge with long-term implications for poverty reduction, livelihoods, community well-being, and sustainable development.
It provides a thorough overview of both fundamental and new directions of knowledge and policy directions in this less debated area within environmental social work. The chapters of this book offer both global and cross-country perspectives via case studies from India, Nepal, Ukraine, South Africa, and the USA, providing greater understanding, evidence, and strategies to achieve the resilience of vulnerable communities based on climate justice principles.
It will be required reading for all scholars, students, and social work professionals as well as those working in sustainability and community development.
Chapter One – Social Work and Climate Justice: Past, Present, and the Way Forward
Devendraraj Madhanagopal and Bala Raju Nikku
Chapter Two – Human Behavior in the Natural Environment: Embracing an Ecocentric Paradigm
Ande Nesmith
Chapter Three – Climate Change, Environmental Justice, and Sustainable Development in Social Work
Anne C. Deepak and Golam M. Mathbor
Chapter Four – Swedish Eco-Social Interventions for Climate Justice and Social Justice: Examples from the Global North
Carin Björngren Cuadra and Pernilla Ouis
Chapter Five – Climate Crisis and Forced Migration: A Global Social Work Response for Migrants on the Move
Catherine K. Medina, Rebecca L. Thomas and Gabrielle Conrad-Amlicke
Chapter Six – Floods in Ukrainian Carpathians: Lessons for Social Work Practice and Education
Tetyana Semigina and Yuliia Kokoiachuk
Chapter Seven – Climate Justice and Toxic Environments in Latin America: Role for Environmental Social Work
Helena Belchior-Rocha and Lorena Helena Dos Santos Silva Anile
Chapter Eight – Indian Social Work Education and Climate Change: Gaps, Solutions, and Alternative Possibilities
Devendraraj Madhanagopal, Abha Rai and Goutham M. Menon
Chapter Nine – Green Social Work for Climate Change: Curriculum Innovations for a Post-Apartheid South Africa
Ndangwa Noyoo
Chapter Ten – Responding to Environmental Disasters in India and Nepal: Insights from Green Social Work
Devendraraj Madhanagopal, Sanjeev Dahal and Bala Raju Nikku
Biography
Devendraraj Madhanagopal (Ph.D.) is an Assistant Professor ( I ) in the School of Sustainability at XIM University (Odisha, India). He holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (Mumbai, India). He is the recipient of several international travel grants/fellowships. His works appear in Environment, Development and Sustainability & Metropolitics journals. He is the corresponding editor of the following edited books: i. Environment, Climate, and Social Justice: Perspectives and Practices from the Global South. Published by Springer Nature Singapore in 2022. ii. Climate Change and Risk in South and Southeast Asia: Sociopolitical Perspectives. Routledge, UK (Forthcoming).
Bala Raju Nikku (Ph.D.) is currently serving as an Assistant Professor of social work at Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, Canada. He served as the founding director of the Nepal School of Social work from 2005 to 2011. Dr. Nikku served in the academia and grassroots social work practice in India, Nepal, Malaysia and held adjunct positions in the UK and Thailand.
In a world that is still structured by coloniality, climate change looms large as a threat to individuals, families and communities and a force that portends even greater global inequality. Famines, armed conflict, immigration and forced migration are but a few of the deadly consequences spawned by climate change. "Social Work and Climate Justice: International perspectives" is a timely and important book, not only because it covers these topics, but it refreshingly includes many voices of scholars from the global majority who are from countries most affected by climate change, rather than solely relying on Western "experts."
- Joshua Miller, Ph.D., Professor, Smith College School of Social Work. Author of Psychosocial capacity building in response to disasters and co-author of Racism in the United States: Implications for the helping professions (3 rd .ed.)
Social Work and Climate Justice: International Perspectives is a timely response to the issues related to and with climate change. A masterpiece volume, enriched by renowned contributors from different locales, covers current themes of everyone’s concerns like climate change, environmental justice, sustainable development, social change, social work education, etc. The book presents a logical and critical inquiry with a glocal perspective and offers an understanding for everyone interested in the theme. The editors are known for their candid and honest writing on Environment, Climate change, and Social Policy dimensions. I enthusiastically recommend the book not only to professional social workers but to all those who are concerned with the future of society.
Sanjai Bhatt (Ph.D.), Professor, Department of Social Work, University of Delhi, India. Former President, National Association of Professional Social Workers in India (NAPSWI) and immediate past President (South Asia), International Council on Social Welfare (ICSW).
This is a topical book that comes at the right time when the United Nations are urging all stakeholders from the global society to accelerate their efforts towards combating climate crisis. Climate crisis is causing biodiversity loss and destruction of the Earth system putting life on the planet at risk. It is affecting all beings and the planet, but impacting to a greater extent the poor, marginalized and disfranchised people and communities. Given that justice is an important pillar of social work, climate justice is de-facto a vital subject area within the discipline. This book offers a wide range of contributions on climate justice from different parts of the world. The chapters consist of theoretical and conceptual discussions, case studies, and policy-oriented viewpoints which make distinguished contributions to social work knowledge development. It is a commendable work and an excellent book for social work education, practice, and research in all parts of the work.
- Komalsingh Rambaree (Ph.D.), Associate Professor of Social Work, Department of Social Work and Psychology, University of Gävle, Sweden.
