Promoting environmental justice through green social work practice: A key challenge for practitioners and educators

Abstract

Environmental crises associated with disasters exacerbate existing socio-economic and cultural inequalities. This article argues for the inclusion of environmental justice in contemporary social work practice as one way of promoting inclusionary social work that meets some of the challenges of the 21st century. It does so by exploring the implications of environmental degradation and its reinforcement of structural inequalities in Sri Lanka following the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami and draws on a three-year research project funded by the Economic and Social Sciences Research Council in the UK that led to the development of a multidisciplinary approach to disasters that is described in the author’s recent book Green Social Work.