Green Social Work: From Environmental Crises to Environmental Justice

Abstract

As the world becomes increasingly attuned to the nature and extent of the global environmental crisis, we are beginning to appreciate the impacts that environmental problems ranging from pollution to anthropogenic climate change will have, indeed are already having, on human well-being. With this appreciation comes the realisation that the worst negative impacts of such issues are falling disproportionately on the individuals, communities and societies who are already amongst the most marginalised and disadvantaged around the globe. In this sense, it has become very clear that the environmental crisis is also a crisis for social justice. Despite these clear links between the environmental and the social, social work as a profession has been slow to engage in this area. Lena Dominelli's new volume on Green Social Work is therefore a very timely publication and makes a significant contribution to the argument that the profession must begin to turn its attention to environmental issues and their impact on human well-being.