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This systematic review aimed to assess the current knowledge of human–animal interactions (HAIs) in disaster settings and identify areas for future research. A Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses search was conducted on three multidisciplinary databases, identifying English-language journal articles published between January 2000 and February 2022 that explored the benefits of and challenges associated with HAI in disasters and emergencies. The review analyzed 94 articles using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The review found a paucity of universal terminology to describe the bidirectional relationship between humans and animals during disasters and a failure to include all animal types in every stage of disaster and emergency management. Additionally, research predominantly focused on the health and well-being benefits of HAI for humans rather than animals. Efforts to promote social and environmental justice for humans and their co-inhabitants should support the welfare of both humans and animals in disaster settings. Four recommendations were developed based on these findings to increase the inclusion of HAI in research, policy, and practice. Limitations of the review included the exclusion of pre-2000 articles and all grey literature, limited research examining different combinations of animal and disaster types, and limited research outside of North America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green social work (GSW) is a nascent framework within the social work field that provides insights regarding social workers' engagement in disaster settings. Although this framework has recently garnered more attention, it remains under-researched and underdeveloped within the context of social work research, education, and practice in Canada and internationally. To further develop GSW in social work education and professional training, we considered how social work students and practitioners can use a learning framework to understand the impact and build their capacities to serve vulnerable and marginalized populations in diverse disaster settings. To do this, we developed a four-step case study approach, as follows: (1) provide detailed background information on the cases, (2) describe how each case is relevant to social work, (3) discuss how each case informs social work practice from a GSW perspective, and (4) provide recommendations for social work practitioners and students using GSW in future disaster-specific efforts. This case study approach centers on natural, technological, and intentional/willful hazards that examine current GSW research–practice engagement in Canada and internationally. Applying this four-step case study approach to three extreme events in Canada and internationally (a natural hazard, a technological hazard, and an intentional/willful hazard) illustrates it as a potential method for social work students and professionals to build their GSW capacities. This will assist in building the resilience of Canadian and international communities—especially those who have been historically marginalized. This article sheds light on how current social work education and professional training should develop new approaches to incorporate the GSW framework into the social work curriculum at large in order to prepare for future extreme events while incorporating environmental and social justice into research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social work's response to global climate change has dramatically increased over the last several years. Similarly, growing attention has been paid to rural social work; less clear, however, is how social work, responsive to global climate change, is developed, deployed, and understood in rural contexts; this systematic review elaborates on current social work contributions (research, practice, and policymaking), promoting environmental justice and sustainability in rural communities. Utilizing the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) approach, this article thematically analyzed and synthesized 174 journal articles on social work-specific interventions and environmental justice. The results illustrate insights into the experiences, practices, or objectives of rural social workers vis-à-vis climate change. Significant themes from the literature demonstrated that gender, age, and race limited access to social work services and climate-related disaster response support in rural settings; this article argues that rural community-driven social work practices focused on environmental justice and sustainability should be encouraged and that policy advocacy attentive to climate change and its impact on vulnerable and marginalized groups should be pursued. Current and prospective social work scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and other stakeholders should collaborate with local rural communities to address their unique needs related to climate change. In turn, grassroots strategies should be co-developed to promote climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, ultimately achieving the goal of building resilient, healthy, and sustainable rural communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]