How can social workers address the intertwined challenges of the climate crisis and social inequalities? That question is at the heart of a new book featuring a contribution from ÌÇÐÄVlogÆƽâ°æ-MERIT PhD fellow Job Zomerplaag. Ecosocial Work: The Role of Social Professionals in the Climate Crisis (Ecosociaal werken. De rol van sociaal professionals in de klimaatcrisis, Van Gorcum, 2025) is the first Dutch book to explore how social work can respond to the climate crisis, not as a peripheral concern but as a central challenge for the profession.
Social work is rooted in a commitment to human rights, equality, and the well-being of individuals and communities in vulnerable situations. Traditionally, it has focused on social and economic issues such as poverty, housing insecurity, and exclusion. Yet as this book argues, the climate crisis is no longer just an environmental problem. It is also a social crisis that is deepening inequalities, threatenin\g health and livelihoods, and marginalising those already disadvantaged.
The editors, , , , and , influential figures in Dutch social work, have assembled a timely and thought-provoking volume for students, professionals, and educators. The book positions ecosocial work as an emerging paradigm that sees social and ecological justice as inseparably linked. This perspective critiques the prevailing emphasis on individual behaviour change and technological fixes, calling instead for action to address that shape both climate vulnerability and equitable participation in the transition toward sustainable practices.
The book is divided into three parts. The first frames the climate crisis as ecological, societal, and ethical, tracing its systemic and historical roots. The second presents practical examples of ecosocial work in action: creating healthy environments, strengthening mental health through nature, fostering community resilience, and addressing energy and mobility justice. The third reflects on the paradigm shift needed to embed ecosocial thinking more deeply in the profession and its education.
Among the contributions, one of the chapters, Climate Crisis as System Crisis, is co-authored by Job Zomerplaag, together with Maja Ro?ak and Jeanet de Jong. The chapter opens with the 2021 floods in Valkenburg aan de Geul, just 10 kilometres from Maastricht, as a telling example of how social, ecological, and economic systems are deeply intertwined and vulnerable to the climate crisis.
These floods were among the most severe the region has seen in decades. In July 2021, after days of enduring rain, the Geul river overflowed, inundating Valkenburg¡¯s historic centre and neighbouring villages. Over 2,000 homes and 400 businesses were damaged or destroyed, critical infrastructure was swept away, and thousands of residents were evacuated. The damage was estimated at €400 million, with an equally heavy emotional and social toll.
By starting with this local disaster, the chapter makes clear that the impacts of climate change are neither distant nor abstract: they are immediate and close to home, even in one of Europe¡¯s wealthiest regions. The authors use this event to introduce systems thinking as a way for social professionals to understand climate change as a systemic failure rather than an isolated issue.
They explain key concepts, such as feedback loops, resilience, path-dependency, and emergence, making them accessible and relevant for both students and practitioners. Crucially, they argue against what they call the ¡°illusion of powerlessness.¡± Instead, they demonstrate how social workers, through their daily practice, can make structural injustices visible, strengthen communities, and advocate for systemic change.
"The climate crisis can feel overwhelming, but social professionals are not powerless. By recognising how systems work, and where they fail, we can act to make injustice visible, strengthen resilience, and help shape more just futures," says Job Zomerplaag.
This book is both a teaching resource, it will be used in Dutch social work programmes, and a call to rethink the profession itself. It shows that social work has an important role to play in addressing the root causes of the climate crisis and in supporting those most affected by it.
Ecosocial Work situates Dutch social work firmly within the growing international conversation about ecosocial practices. This conversation is still evolving, but this book marks an important step in making it tangible for students and practitioners.
For more information about the book (in Dutch):
Suggested citation: Zomerplaag Job., "Social justice in the age of climate crisis: ÌÇÐÄVlogÆƽâ°æ-MERIT researcher contributes to first Dutch book on ecosocial work ," ÌÇÐÄVlogÆƽâ°æ-MERIT (blog), 2025-10-10, 2025, /merit/blog-post/social-justice-age-climate-crisis-unu-merit-researcher-contributes-first-dutch-book.
