Abstract: Submission #39

Abstract A generalist framing of social work draws from a common knowledge, skills, and value base that aids social workers in their quest for social justice. Climate change, the frequency and intensity of natural and human made disasters and their disproportionately negative impacts on service users call for intensified efforts in promoting social, economic, and ecological justice. The combined effects of poverty, inequality, human made, and environmental disasters furthermore necessitate a re-examination of social work’s foundational base in view of grounding it within a sustainable development framework. This conceptual paper is drawn from a desk review of the Global Agenda (2012) theme on promoting environmental and community sustainability. It presents the essential knowledge, skills, and values for environmental and green social work which social workers could draw from in developing an integrated view of people and the environment and thereby intervening for people, planet, and prosperity.