Recentring Environment in Social Work Practice: Necessity, Opportunity, Challenge

Although social work is optimally positioned to respond to the human implications of environmental change and stress, the profession largely lacks a presence in environmental practice, research and policy making. Given the accelerating need for creative, effective and justice-oriented responses to the human dimensions of global environmental challenges, this lack of involvement is increasingly untenable. In response, this paper assesses the current status of environmentally focused social work theory, research and practice. It concludes that crafting a vibrant and meaningful environmental presence will require efforts at multiple levels, from developing a creative, multi-faceted and well-specified menu of practice theories, models and interventions, supported by research and practice evidence, to an enhanced focus on environmental practice within social work education. It will also require both novel interdisciplinary partnerships and deep-rooted collaborations with local communities, where larger environmental threats and inequities come to ground in everyday lived experience.