Indian Social Work Education and Climate Change

Abstract

Along with economic and political challenges, climate change raises critical social, cultural, ethical, and environmental justice concerns worldwide. A growing body of literature shows that the adverse effects of climate change and risks are more likely to impact densely populated areas and countries with high levels of socioeconomic inequality, like India. There is a strong need for social work educators to address the consequences of climate change so that they can adequately prepare social work students and professionals to respond to these challenges. Social work education and practice in India have long been associated with family, community, mental health, and industrial settings; therefore, it is imperative to augment, expand, and enhance the profession’s scope to include topics such as climate change within the curricula. By reviewing the literature, this chapter will underscore how social work educators and curricula may have overlooked the growing environmental destruction, climate change problems, and the associated challenges of environmental justice within marginal communities across India. By highlighting the knowledge gaps that hinder incorporating climate change issues into social work education in India, this chapter will critically discuss the challenges and offer solutions to address them. In discussing solutions, we will briefly review the extent and manner in which social work curricula in member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development such as the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom have integrated macro course content on climate change and environmental justice. As implications for social work education in India, we outline best practices such as internships, translational classroom content, and certificate programs that can be integrated into schools of social work to better prepare graduating students to respond to climate change and risks.