In her review of the eco-social work literature related to environmental sustainability and social work, Molyneux (2010) reports “According to Coates (2004), “environmental destruction like social injustice is a societal problem resulting from values and beliefs that are inherent in the structure of modern society” (p. 3).

Besthorn (2002) furthered this thought via an examination of the natural world as other; a commodity with which to exploit and manage for human profit.

A consensual theme permeated the literature concerning a perilous future for the earth and her inhabitants to the extent that much of the social work profession agreed it can no longer maintain a narrow view of ecological approaches to practice. Hillman (2002) proposed that the growth in the number of environmental non-government organizations is indicative of the worldwide impact of the environmental crisis (p. 350). Elgin (as cited in Muldoon, 2006) suggested “the entire human population is confronted with a common predicament whose solution will require us to work together” (p. 11). The concepts of ecology and sustainability are clearly finding their way into the social work discourse as social workers increasingly encounter the consequences of environmental contamination and degradation in their practice (Muldoon, 2006).

Keefe (2003) and Muldoon (2006) challenged the temporal relevance of ecosocial work.They acknowledged that although “the threads linking environmental pollution and social welfare stand much more exposed under extreme conditions” (Bolan, as cited by Muldoon, 2006, p. 146), the profession must broaden its interest for the entire population experiencing similar afflictions under parallel policies. Environmental injustice is a fundamental and perpetual concern for social work” (p. 62-63).

Source: R. Molyneux, (2010). The practical realities of ecosocial work: A review of the literature. Critical Social Work, 11(2), 60-69.