Environmental Social Work and Environmental Justice

Environmental social work (eco-social work) extends the social work mandate beyond humans to the ecosystems on which wellbeing depends. The person-in-environment perspective expands from the social to the natural/physical environment.

Environmental Justice

• Unequal exposure: marginalised and low-income communities and climate-change of colour bear most environmental harm.
• Recognition justice (respecting marginalised knowledge), procedural justice (participation), and distributional justice (who bears harm/benefits).

Eco-Social Work

• Ecosocial theory: a weaving of ecological, feminist, and critical economies situates human wellbeing within planetary boundaries.
• Working at the intersection of poverty, displacement, and environmental risk.

Frameworks

• Ecological sustainability: meeting present needs without foreclosing future generations.
• Ecological justice: extending concern to non-human nature.

Study Points

1. Define environmental justice and give examples of disparity.
2. How does eco-social work change the practice unit of attention?

Climate Crisis, Displacement and Community Resilience

Climate Crisis Impacts

• Extreme events (floods, droughts, storms), sea-level rise over decades, slow-onset hazards.
• Displacement/migration (climate and disaster displacement).
• Health, food and water security, and economic shocks.

Vulnerable Populations

Children, older persons, people with disabilities, women, informal settlers, and indigenous communities are most at risk — their vulnerabilities are compounded effects of poverty and inequality.

Community Resilience Strategies

• Disaster risk reduction (DRR): early warning, preparedness, resilient housing/infestructure.
• Adaptation to support resilient livelihoods.
• Crisis response and psychosocial support after disasters.
• Community organising and mutual aid: strengthening local networks is the heart of climate-resilient communities.

Mitigation

Reducing emissions and protecting habitats through community choices, policy advocacy, and sustainable local development.

Review Points

1. Why are poorer communities at elevated climate risk?
2. Design a community resilience plan after a flood in an informal settlement.

Eco-Social Practice, Policy and Sustainability

Eco-Social Work in Practice

• Green care and therapeutic horticulture, eco-anxiety support and nature-based interventions.
• Community-based environmental action: community orchards, air/water advocacy.
• Case and community resilience in disasters.

Macro-Level Policy Practice for Sustainability

• Advocacy for environmental policy, regulation and ratification of climate agreements.
• Integrating social and environmental assessment in urban and regional planning.
• Sustained communities: designing social services around sustainable consumption and renewable, secure, equitable systems (energy, food, transport).

Sustainability Praxis in Agencies

Agencies embed sustainability (energy, procurement, travel) and environmental justice in their mission; practitioners evaluate the green and social footprints of services.

Review Notes

1. How do you combine ecological and social justice in advocacy?
2. Give a macro-policy example linking welfare and environmental policy.

The Future of Eco-Social Work

Eco-social work is a rising paradigm embedding climate, environmental justice and sustainability in teaching, research and practice at every level.

Strengthening the Curriculum

• Ecological and eco-social subject-matter teaching.
• Community with trusts, environmental justice bodies.
• Expanding the biopsychosocial framework to a planetary-eco dimension.

Research Directions

• Inquiry on climate and wellbeing, displacement, environmental risk and resilience.
• Participatory, community-based, intersectional research co-produced with affected groups and alongside participatory geospatial tools.

Ethics of Practice

• Intergenerational equity and duties to future generations and to non-human nature.
• Balancing risk with compassion for imperiled people and ecosystems.

Conclusion

Social work's commitment to justice and wellbeing expands to planetary scales; the discipline belongs at the centre of climate and environmental reform.

Final Review

1. What ethical demands does climate change place on social work?
2. How can eco-social work be researched responsibly with partners in the Global South?