ABSTRACT
Social justice refers to the equitable distribution of wealth, resources, and opportunity to promote the welfare of society, and is based on the premise that freedom and equality are fundamental human rights. An ideology valuing racial, gender, and economic equality; the fair treatment of vulnerable and oppressed populations; and the elimination of intolerance and discrimination, social justice is appealing to a variety of progressive socio-political movements. It is a key theme in the civil rights, women’s rights, and LGBTQIA rights movements, as well as those linked to anti-war, animal rights, and environmental protection causes. Social justice is also a core principle of the social work profession (International Federation of Social Workers [IFSW], 2012). The social work profession aims to ‘promote social change, problem-solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being’ (IFSW, 2012). Internationally, ‘principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work’ (IFSW, 2012). To achieve human rights and social justice, and to ‘intervene at the points where people interact with their environments’ (IFSW, 2012), the social work profession must advocate for environmental justice.
