Activism – 2019 Social work blog 413 /713

By K Boyes

These words are not from some crazy greenie. These words are from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2018, p. 79). The IPCC a United Nations body with 195 member countries, established in 1988 by the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organisation. You can read their Global Warming of 1.5ºC report here . This is a substantial piece of work written by over 200 editors, authors and contributors and citing over 6,000 scientific references; a summary of the report is available here

Key messages are that we are already experiencing extreme weather and rising sea levels, and, to avoid irreversible changes, such as loss of ecosystems, we need to limit global warming to 1.5°C; this will involve rapid transitions in energy, industry, housing, transport and other areas. But climate change is not the only serious environmental concern. There are many others including: plastics in the environment; pesticide usage; declining insect numbers; deforestation, loss of biodiversity and extinction of species.

These issues are relevant to social work. Climate change has already created many climate change refugees and this will increase if we continue on with our present usage of fossil fuels. Everyone will be affected in some way by unchecked climate change. This is also a human rights and social justice issue in that poor people are disproportionately affected by climate change and environmental degradation, for example, by having less choice about where they live and work and so being at greater risk of exposure to pesticides, car exhaust, industrial chemicals and extreme weather events.

These issues should be of concern to social workers everywhere. However, social work as a profession has been slow to give attention to the natural environment. Social work has been criticised for being anthropocentric (Besthorn, 2012; Peeters, 2012), meaning that human interests are considered above those of other beings. This is reflected in our use of ecomaps and genograms which assess social functioning but neglect relationships with the natural environment (Zapf, 2010). It is also evident in the scant mention of environmental sustainability in our codes of ethics and codes of practice, and in the lack of political action and leadership from our international and local representatives.

Social work is behind in responding to the environmental crisis. This may be partly because of the highly effective discourse of climate change denial. But what would you think if you knew that much of the climate change denial campaign is funded by fossil fuel corporations? (Dunlap & McCright, 2011). Strategies include those which were so effective for the tobacco industry such as creating doubt and uncertainty, and criticising journals, scientists, and scientific institutions (Dunlap & McCright, 2011).

The reality is that we are part of the ecosystem and we will all be affected by environmental degradation and climate change. Environmental issues are not contained within national boundaries. Carbon emissions enter the atmosphere and affect the whole planet. Plastics or pesticides that enter the food chain in one country may be consumed in another. If 40% of insects become extinct as a result of climate change, this will affect us all. Biodiversity is important for the health of the planet. It is not just about cute fluffy animals. If we continue to neglect the natural environment we are likely to be faced with war, famine and disease.

Wake up! This is an issue which needs your attention. You need to be informed about this issue so you can make wise decisions, small and large. Who to vote for. What car to buy. What products to buy. How to dispose of your waste. Whether to drive, walk, cycle or take public transport. How many children to have. Whether to use pesticides or not. Your decisions affect the planet, yourself and other people. You are part of the ecosystem.

There are also many roles for social workers -see Lena Dominelli

References:

Besthorn, F. H. (2012). Deep ecology’s contributions to social work: A ten-year retrospective. International Journal of Social Welfare, 21, 248-259. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-2397.2011.00850.x Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/30627646/Deep_Ecologys_contributions_to_social_work_A_ten-year_retrospective

Dunlap, R. E., & McCright, A. M. (2011). Organized climate change denial. In J. S. Dryzek, R. B. Norgaard, & D. Schlosberg (Eds.), The Oxford book of climate change and society. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199566600.003.0010 Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/284261736_Organized_Climate_Change_Denial

Dominelli, L. ( 2011).Climate change: social workers’ roles and contributions to policy debates and interventions International Journal of Social Welfare. 20, 430–438

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2018). Global Warming of 1.5°C. Geneva, Switzerland: IPCC. Retrieved from https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/

Peeters, J. (2012). The place of social work in sustainable development: Towards ecosocial practice. International Journal of Social Welfare, 20, 287-298. doi: 10.111/j.1468-2397.2011.00856.x Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230485576_The_place_of_social_work_in_sustainable_development_Towards_ecosocial_practice/download

Zapf, M. K. (2010). Social work and the environment: Understanding people and place. Critical Social Work, 11(3), 30-46. Retrieved from http://www1.uwindsor.ca/criticalsocialwork/social-work-and-the-environment-understanding-people-and-place

By Hopeful Citizen

Activism has become redefined in today’s society. With the internet and social media, this enables people to have a more prominent voice and educate themselves on different issues. There has also been an increasing awareness of social injustices and how they intersect. However, there is still an immeasurable divide in the power imbalance of politicians and the public. It feels at times that politicians entertain the demands of the public, yet there are still situations which demonstrate their ultimate power over decision making. Particularly decisions regarding people or groups which are not represented in government, or are a minority.

Despite the progression of society, it often feels as though society takes one step forwards and two steps back. It can feel disheartening and disempowering when the perspectives of marginalised groups are not represented. Having the likes of President Trump being, is a wakeup call to people to the fragility of the political system. In the instance of abortion laws, in the United States currently, politicians are putting more restrictions against women or stripping away their rights or access entirely. This is alarming as it heightens the uncertainty around other laws, which could also be in jeopardy. This is reproductive rights intersects with the rights of women, people of colour and people from lower socioeconomic groups, as they are statistically more affected by these limitations and access to resources.

I think this is a contributing factor to the unrest in New Zealand and the push to remove abortion from the Crimes Act, in order to protect all women’s rights in the future. As well as to be more vocal about other issues, in order to ensure that these are being heard and hopefully addressed. People of differing age groups and identities appear to be coming together, as there is growing awareness of the intersectionality involved. This activism is also changing in the sense that it is becoming more ingrained in our conversations (Marvelly, 2018) . An example of this is New Zealand’s appallingly high suicide rates. Suicide often carries taboo, stigma and shame associated with it. In the New Zealand media, there is a law around how suicide is reported and it needs to be careful to increase the understanding of it, not the risk of suicide (Mental Health Foundation, 2019). Suicide is a phenomenon which has limited understanding. In recent years, it has become a more talked about issue and there have been many media campaigns urging people to reach out in times of need. As well as celebrities and other affluent people speaking out about person experiences, which has contributed to breaking down stigma around mental health issues.

This is a social movement which is being reflected in government policies. With the Wellbeing Budget which government released just last week, there was a clear focus on mental health, in order to improve accessibility and funding. This has also been seen in politicians valuing the insight from those with lived experience. Last year the Law Commission in New Zealand gathered public submissions on their views on the abortion debate. They received 3,419 submissions (Law Commission, 2018). In the United States, just days ago, there was a Subcommittee on the Threats to Reproductive Rights in America. This consisted of a panel of women, giving testimonies from a range of lived experience, doctors, a professor, a lawyer and a minister, giving their views on the abortion debate. This was an interesting situation in which the public had an opportunity and platform to share their views in court. This was a diverse range of people, including different ethnic and socioeconomic groups and they were all women, given that this is a women’s issue.

Intersectionality is both theory and practice, it is as much about talking as it is about lobbying, therefore activism take many forms (Joy, 2019). It didn’t feel right to talk about a sole social issue and how social workers relate, when we are present in all areas of inequality intersectionality. Therefore, we are in a position to not only empower others, but to use our insight, passion and awareness to advocate for change. The simple protest of challenging stigmatising language used by others, or discriminatory beliefs is another small step towards gaining equality and justice for all humankind. This can be difficult, particularly whilst working within systemic pressures (Bartley, 2019). But we can’t give up without a fight.

References:

Bartley, L. (2019, January 21). Where has my radicalism gone? [Blog post]. Retrieved from: http://www.reimaginingsocialwork.nz/2019/01/where-has-my-radicalism-gone-revisited/

Joy, E. (2019). “You cannot take it with you”: Reflections on intersectionality and social work. Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work 31(1), 42-48. Retrieved from: https://anzswjournal.nz/anzsw/article/view/560

Law Commission. (2018). Alternative approaches to abortion law. Retrieved from: https://www.lawcom.govt.nz/abortion

Marvelly, L. (2018, March 10). Activism is in the air – and it’s great. New Zealand Herald. Retrieved from: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12008831

Mental Health Foundation. (2019). Reporting & portrayal of suicide. https://www.mentalhealth.org.nz/get-help/media/reporting-and-portrayal-of-suicide/

Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties (Panel). (2019). Threats to Reproductive Rights in America[YouTube]. United States of America: House Judiciary Committee Hearings. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVvv3JRCVQAl6ovogDum4hA

Photo: http://politicalpunchline.com/womens-march-signs/cant-believe-still-protesting-this-shit/

cant-believe-still-protesting-this-shit

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