Social Work Interventions: A Socio-Ecological Analysis of Climate Change and Conflict Refugees in the Sahel

Abstract

The UN Refugee Agency, the UNHCR, has stated that climate change will disproportionally impact the displaced as it becomes more unpredictable, intense, frequent, and dangerous (Gaynor, 2020). The UNHCR reported that in 2019, weather-related hazards resulted in almost 25 million displacements in 140 countries. This paper will examine the effects of climate change and ensuing conflict on refugees in the Sahel Region of Africa. This paper will first look at the effects from a social-ecological systems perspective, analyzing the interrelating contexts. This paper will then examine the harmful effects of climate change and ensuing conflict on humans, other species, and the environment. This paper will follow this examination with an analysis of which actors benefit from the systems that initiate these detrimental effects, and how they can be held accountable. The general media narratives of refugees will be examined, establishing barriers for humanitarian aid and public support to reach those in need. Then, this paper will examine three leverage points through which the profession of social work and other helping professions could intervene to address the problem, followed by the identification of one specifically poignant leverage point from the three – community organizing, providing a blueprint to effectively address the harmful effects climate change and conflict are having on refugees in the Sahel.