ABSTRACT
Social workers have historically conducted much of their work downstream: ameliorating stress, trauma, or inadequate access to basic needs. We cannot afford this approach when it comes to the urgency of climate change. To engage in meaningful change, we must understand how we landed in a crisis of this magnitude. In this chapter, I argue that the values, behaviors, and mechanisms leading to environmental injustices across race, gender, and economic status are no different than those resulting in our current climate crisis. The root causes of environmental injustices among humans are fundamentally related to those experienced by the four-legged crawlers, winged, and leafed lives. I explore how colonialism, objectification, and ranking the value of some lives over others follows a similar trajectory regarding nature as with humans. This chapter is a call to engage in work upstream, both outwardly at the policy level and inwardly challenging our values and perceptions of how we fit within the natural world. To address environmental racism, it is imperative that those most affected by the global climate crisis and ecological degradation have a seat at the decision-making table where environmental policies are created. This raises critical, if not uncomfortable, questions as well: where is nature’s place at that table? Why does our fight for justice, rights, and compassion stop short of other life forms? I discuss the relationship among all of these factors and offer action steps both inside and outside the classroom to move us in that direction. I present ways that social work education can guide our students to shift their worldview from one that is human focused to one that is truly inclusive. This means acknowledging and valuing the full diversity and ecology of the planet we inhabit and depend on for our continued existence. Finally, I introduce the concept and application of radical empathy, emphasize the importance of voter engagement, advocacy, and ethical decision-making, and argue for the adoption of an ecocentric paradigm.
