Environmental Social Work

Social work has been late to engage with the environmental movement. Often working with an exclusively social understanding of environment, much of the social work profession has overlooked the importance of environmental issues. However, recently, the impact of and worldwide attention to climate change, a string of natural disasters, and increased understanding of issues around environmental justice has put the environment, sustainability, and well-being in the spotlight.

Divided into three parts, this field-defining work explores what environmental social work is, and how it can be put into practice. The first section focuses on theory, discussing ecological and social justice, as well as sustainability, spirituality and human rights. The second section comprises case studies of evolving environmental social work practice. The case studies derive from a range of areas from urban gardens and community organizing to practice with those affected by climate change. The final section – relevant to students and lecturers – looks at learning about environmental issues in social work.

Environmental Social Work provides an integrated theoretical and practical overview of why and how social work might respond to environmental factors affecting the societies and people they work with at international, national, local and individual levels.

Mel Gray is Professor of Social Work and Research Professor in the Research Institute for Social Inclusion and Wellbeing (RISIW), in the School of Humanities and Social Science at University of Newcastle, Australia.

John Coates was Professor and Director of the School of Social Work at St Thomas University in New Brunswick, Canada, and is Chair and a founding member of the Canadian Society for Spirituality and Social Work.

Tiani Hetherington is a Lecturer in Social Work at Griffith University, Australia.