As Scotland and the rest of the UK aim to build back fairer and greener after covid-19, government and third sector representatives have agreed the only way to tackle the twin crises of climate change and social care is to view them as interconnected.  

Global Green New Deal’s Katie Gallogly-Swan highlights the parallels between social care and climate change that she argues has resulted in them both being historically overlooked within policy.

Speaking at the Climate Action and Social Care Collective roundtable on Wednesday, the policy coordinator said: “both are treated as inexhaustible resources that are free or cheap subsidies to the broader economy.

“We know they are finite, and we are now facing the reality of sustained overextraction of these.”

Three virtual roundtable events have been organised by the ALLIANCE and Scottish Care to explore the role of social care in addressing, adapting to, and mitigating the impacts of climate change, as part of the Scottish government’s attempt to be a net-zero nation by 2045.

Ms Gallogly-Swan reinforced the need for “comprehensive climate policy” that takes into account the “fundamental part of the approach” that social care can have adapting to the new reality of climactic changes in a fair and equitable way.

Last year the Scottish government set up a Just Transition Commission, to explore routes of climate action that would not come at the expense of either workers or consumers.

The main aims are to introduce sustainable industrial policies and strong social support programmes, whilst helping people move to more sustainable sectors and jobs, to ensure that climate action does not perpetuate inequalities.

Whilst Just Transition plans have mainly focused on the role of the construction industry, Ms Gallogly-Swan contends that care jobs are green jobs and must be considered as a “crucial pillar” of these plans.

UK-wide research from the Women’s Budget Group shows that investment in care is greener than investment in construction, producing 30% less greenhouse emissions as well as resulting in 2.7 times as many jobs.

With women making-up the majority of the social care workforce, in low-paid, under-staffed, precariously contracted roles, Gallogly-Swan says it is especially important that a care-led recovery takes place.  

Echoing this call, Adaptation Scotland’s Anna Beswick says contingency plans for the gradually warming weather, increasing rainfall and rising sea levels must be put in place for the care sector sooner rather than later.

Ms Beswick highlights that “climactic changes are not felt equally, globally or locally”, as shown in the recently published IPCC report, and that those receiving and working in social care are more likely to be negatively affected:

“If we understand the impacts on these groups, we can increase our resilience. Preparedness and resilience can lay the foundation for stronger multipartnership responses”.

Scottish Care’s Karen Hedge, who chaired the sessions, agreed that “collaboration is the only way to tackle the challenges that face us” in social care and climate change, rather than being on the backfoot and reactive.

Christine McGregor, a representative from the Scottish government from the Directorate for Mental Health and Social Care, was optimistic that a more forward-looking “point of shift within social care” was taking place.

Citing the publication of the Feeley report earlier this year and the National Care Plan Commission just this week, Ms McGregor reiterated the commitment of the government to working closely with industry, community, the care sector and individuals.

By achieving “continual technological innovation, adoption and behavioural change”, Ms McGregor was confident that social care could contribute significantly toward mitigating the effects of climate change that she believes is “as relevant to social care as any other sector”.

Two more roundtable events will take place on 15^th of September and 20^th of October and will, along with Wednesday’s discussion, inform discussions prior to the UN Climate Change Conference scheduled to take place in Glasgow on the 1^st of November.

 

Read more: NHS ‘significant contributor’ to climate emergency; Social care review: What does the report say?; Details of National Care Service revealed; 3D printed PPE can offer greener alternative

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