From dissent to authoritarianism: What role for social work in confronting the climate crisis?
Citation:
Whelan, Joe, From dissent to authoritarianism: What role for social work in confronting the climate crisis?, Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work, 2022, 34, 3, 21 - 33Download Item:
Abstract:
INTRODUCTION: As the environmental crisis deepens and the effects begin to emerge in
the form of disruptive and destructive climate events, more nation-states have ostensibly
committed to carbon net zero by 2050. Achieving this target will require a major reconstitution
of economies, societies and, thus, the lived realties of peoples. This reconstitution or shift will
need to occur most forcibly and rapidly in the developed economies of the global north whom,
since about 1850, have been responsible for approximately 92% of surplus global emissions.
Social policies, therefore, will need to be reworked and reimagined so that, in practice, they
are aligned with “planetary boundaries”. Recent geopolitical summits, such as COP 26, have,
arguably, resulted in lacklustre and vague commitments rather than any serious attempts at
creating agreement on how to reconstitute the economies of the global north. Moreover, a
model of economy predicated on continuous, and exponential growth and thus the continued
metabolization of the natural environment, still appears immovable despite the threat it poses.
APPROACH, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION: It is against the backdrop of the global context
described above that two questions are posed. The first is concerned with creating a focus for
social work and asks: “What sustainable social policies should social work align with?”. The
answer to this is presented as a means of progressing the task of social work in the context of
climate justice. The second question builds on the answer to the first and asks, “Does arriving at
an adequate response require dissent?”
Author's Homepage:
http://people.tcd.ie/jwhelan9Description:
PUBLISHED
Author: Whelan, Joe
Type of material:
Journal ArticleSeries/Report no:
Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work;34;
3;
Availability:
Full text availableKeywords:
Climate, Climate justice, Social justice, Dissent, Social work, Social policy, Welfare statesSubject (TCD):
Inclusive Society , Smart & Sustainable Planet , Poverty and the Poor , SUSTAINABILITY , Social Policy , Social Welfare , Social WorkMetadata
Show full item recordLicences: