Abstract: Submission #155

Abstract The study highlights how social work practice integrates environmental justice, sustainability, and ecological perspectives, emphasizing the impact of climate-related disasters on marginalized populations. A qualitative case study approach was used to explore social work interventions in response to two climate-related disasters: the death of a scholar due to floods and a grandmother's death caused by lightning reported to the Social Worker’s office in 2024.The social worker provided immediate psychosocial support to grieving families, facilitated trauma-informed counselling, and coordinated with local authorities for temporary shelter and basic resources. The social worker engaged in advocacy efforts, challenging systemic gaps in disaster response by highlighting the lack of timely emergency alerts and inaccessibility of early warning systems for rural and under-resourced communities. Through community forums and liaison with municipal disaster management teams, social worker advocated for inclusive communication strategies, such as community-based response teams. In collaboration with Indigenous leaders, the interventions included promotion of traditional knowledge systems, such as localized weather interpretation and sustainable land practices to improve disaster preparedness. These efforts aimed not only to respond to immediate needs but also to address long-term vulnerabilities by strengthening community resilience, promoting environmental justice, and advocating for policy reforms that ensure equitable access to emergency services. The findings emphasize the necessity of decolonizing environmental practices and building partnerships with Indigenous communities to foster systemic change that prioritizes ecological integrity and human dignity. Social workers play a role in bridging the gap between environmental and social justice, advocating for inclusive policies and equitable access to emergency services.