Eco-emotional Responses to Climate Change: A Scoping Review of Social Work Literature

The existential threat of climate change to the future of human and non-human well-being evokes complex emotional responses. The aim of this study was to explore the extent and nature of social work literature relating to eco-emotions. Eco-emotions refer to a diverse array of emotional responses to climate change, for example, anxiety, anger and hope. A scoping review explored scholarly databases to examine literature relating to eco-emotions between 2000 and 2023. Data were extracted from the articles to synthesise key characteristics, and thematic analysis was undertaken to identify themes emerging from the data. The scoping review yielded a total of seven articles with a focus on worry, anxiety, hope and empathy. Themes identified were related to intergenerational relationships, eco-emotional fluidity and multidimensional practice. Drawing on the profession's established knowledge base, eco-social work provides a framework for engaging with eco-emotions. Furthermore, acknowledging eco-emotions specific to First Nations peoples in the context of colonialism and incorporating Indigenous knowledges to improve planetary health are essential for a decolonised approach to eco-emotional practice. Given social work's increasing engagement with climate change, this review highlights the need for greater awareness of and engagement with eco-emotions. The existential threat of climate change to the future of human and non-human well-being evokes complex emotional responses. Eco-emotions refer to a diverse array of emotional responses to climate change, for example, anxiety, anger and hope. This article engages with the emotional dimension of climate change by undertaking a scoping review of social work literature relating to eco-emotions. The outcomes of the review yielded a total of seven articles with a focus on worry, anxiety, hope and empathy. Through an analysis of the articles, three themes were identified: intergenerational relationships, eco-emotional fluidity and multidimensional practice. Given social work's increasing engagement with climate change, outcomes of the review highlight the need for greater awareness of and engagement with eco-emotions. Implications of these outcomes for social work practice involve adopting a collective, multidimensional approach and fostering intergenerational relationships to provide opportunities for socialisation, healing and action-oriented interventions. Drawing on the profession's established knowledge base, eco-social work provides a framework for eco-emotional practice. Further, acknowledging eco-emotions specific to First Nations peoples in the context of colonialism and incorporating Indigenous knowledges are essential for a decolonised approach to eco-emotional practice.