How the Natural World Fits in to Social Work Climate Resilience
摘要
This chapter explores how reconnecting social work with the natural world is essential for building climate resilience, both for practitioners and the communities they work with. It begins with the recognition that humans are part of, not separate from, the ecosystems that sustain life. Climate change and ecological collapse are therefore reflections of a broken relationship between people and the planet. Drawing on concepts such as Green Social Work, Eco-social Work, Ecofeminism, and Disaster Social Work, the chapter argues that while these frameworks established vital ethical foundations, they were built in a time of climatic stability that no longer exists. Social work now operates under Anthropocene conditions of likely ongoing disruption. Nature-based prevention and adaptation offer practical, evidence-based pathways forward. Activities such as ecotherapy, community gardening, and green social prescribing demonstrate how the environment itself can be integrated into social work practice. The chapter provides concrete examples of how social workers can encourage connections with nature, to strengthen and support collective adaptation.