Poverty as a threat to environmental sustainability: implications for social work practice in Zimbabwe

Abstract

Social Work as a profession has a role to play to reduce the impact of environmental degradation arising from poverty and climate change. This paper seeks to articulate the roles to be played by social workers in reducing the impact of environmental degradation. There is a symbiotic relationship between poverty and environmental degradation hence the need for social work intervention; poverty causes environmental degradation and the vice versa is equally true. Social workers are equipped with knowledge and skills in advocating for the rights of the poor and marginalised people (social justice), hence the need for the visibility of social work as a profession in environmental sustainability activities. Social workers can also play a key role in enlightening and building the capacity of the poor and disadvantaged people about the need to protect the environment in order to sustain their livelihoods. The success of environmental sustainability activities is hinged on community participation and this makes the relevance of social work indispensable since social workers are endowed with knowledge and skills in community participation. It was also observed that if social workers do not participate in environmental sustainability activities, it has implications on their work since more people will be rendered vulnerable due to environmental degradation. This research study noted the applicability of social work theories and models such as resilience theory, person-in-environment model and systems theory in environmental sustainability activities. This paper concludes that social work has an important role in reducing environmental degradation.

Keywords: environmental sustainability, social work, poverty, empowerment, social justice