"Social work must take its place at the climate table"

– I thought the climate scientists would have many answers for us, but I realized that they are primarily experts in climate science itself. At the conference, they were trying to reason through the social implications of climate change, but that was outside their area of expertise. Instead, they were very interested in what I, as a social work researcher, had to say.

Stephanie Rost is a doctoral student in Social Work at the University of Gothenburg. Her research focuses on food security and climate change in Sweden, including how Swedish society and the people living here could be affected if the AMOC ocean circulation system, of which the Gulf Stream is a part, were to collapse. Before entering academia, she worked for eight years as a social worker and social work manager in her native Scotland.

The conference in Helsinki brought together some of the world's leading climate scientists. Their task was to discuss climate tipping points – critical thresholds in the climate system that can trigger rapid and far-reaching changes.

Climate change is ultimately about people

News coverage of climate change often focuses on rising temperatures, droughts and extreme weather events. But climate change also affects societies and individuals in many other ways, including health, economic security, education, housing and social relationships. The discussions Stephanie Rost listened to – and participated in – during the conference prompted several reflections.

– It was both fascinating and concerning that climate scientists were so interested in what a social work researcher had to say. Climate change can be described as a threat multiplier, meaning that it amplifies problems that already exist. Whatever is vulnerable risks becoming even more vulnerable. It became very clear to me that knowledge from social work has a vital role to play.

An important contribution to climate discussions

Stephanie Rost stresses that greater dialogue and collaboration across disciplines does not mean that social workers need to become climate experts – any more than climate scientists need to become experts in social work.

– We are the ones with expertise in vulnerability, poverty, exclusion and inequality. Those perspectives are essential if we want to understand the consequences of climate change. But above all, we need to be at the table when future responses and adaptations are being discussed and planned.

Earlier this year, she published The Climate Resilience Guide for Social Workers, a book that offers practical guidance on how social work professionals can help strengthen society's resilience in the face of climate change.

– Climate change is not a distant problem. It is already affecting people's everyday lives. Meeting these challenges requires people from many different fields to work together across disciplinary boundaries.

Text: Anna Vörös, communicators officer