When we think about justice, we often focus on human-centered issues: economic justice, racial justice, housing justice. These are undeniably crucial. But ecological justice asks us to widen our lens — to consider the full web of life and to recognize that justice must extend to non-human beings as well: animals, plants, ecosystems, entire species. For social workers, this might seem outside the traditional scope of our profession. But as the planet’s ecological crisis accelerates, we must ask ourselves: Can we truly serve humanity without protecting the non-human life that sustains us?

Ecological justice, rooted in Indigenous knowledge and environmental ethics, is the belief that all living beings have intrinsic value, not just those who walk on two legs. It challenges the anthropocentric mindset that places humans above nature — a mindset that has fueled extractive, exploitative systems for centuries. This view aligns deeply with social work’s mission to challenge oppression and uplift the dignity of all life.

The very systems that have historically harmed marginalized communities — colonialism, white supremacy, and capitalism — have also devastated ecosystems and non-human life. These structures do not operate in isolation; they reinforce each other, causing harm across species, generations, and geographies.

As human societies transitioned from hunting and foraging to the domestication of plants and animals during the Agricultural Revolution, a profound shift occurred — not only in how we lived, but in how we related to the earth. What began as a strategy for survival and stability evolved into large-scale manipulation of ecosystems. Forests were cleared for farmland, rivers diverted for irrigation, and animals bred in confinement for human use. These developments fueled the rise of civilizations, but they also marked the beginning of a slow, often invisible unraveling of the planet’s ecological balance — a destruction we did not yet comprehend, but which laid the groundwork for today’s global crisis.

Today, the consequences are all too visible. We see the systemic cruelty of factory farming, causing immense animal suffering while exploiting human labor under unsafe conditions. We see the mass extinction of species as habitats collapse under the weight of industrial development. Climate displacement, driven largely by fossil fuel extraction and global warming, is uprooting communities and cultures. Ongoing deforestation and pollution continue to devastate Indigenous lands and sever ancestral ties — all while reinforcing the same colonial and capitalist structures that initiated the damage.

These are not isolated incidents. They are deeply connected — to each other, and to us.

Ecological justice isn’t about saving whales in isolation. It’s about dismantling the structures of domination that harm both people and planet and recognizing that non-human life must be included in our pursuit of justice.

Our NASW Code of Ethics calls on us to promote social justice, the dignity and worth of the person, and the importance of human relationships. But what if we expanded our understanding of relationships to include our connection to animals, trees, rivers, and soil? What if we understood justice to mean not just equity among people, but harmony among all forms of life?

These are not just philosophical questions — they are urgent ethical imperatives.

For social workers, ecological destruction is not a distant or abstract concern. It is an urgent matter of human rights and community well-being. The same systems that pollute the earth often target the same people we are ethically bound to protect: low-income communities, Indigenous nations, and people of color. These populations are hit hardest by toxic waste, climate displacement, and environmental neglect — on top of the intergenerational trauma and structural inequity they already face.

As practitioners committed to advocacy, justice, and healing, we must expand our awareness, our education, and our interventions to include the ecological.

Emerging frameworks like green social work and eco-social practice urge us to broaden our ethical scope. They remind us that human health and dignity are inseparable from the health of our planet — that interdependence is not a metaphor, but a reality.

Many Indigenous traditions already teach this truth: the world is not a hierarchy, but a circle of kinship — where humans, animals, waters, and winds are all relatives. If we are to live and practice with integrity, we must honor these relationships and ensure that our social work includes all who share this earth.

As social workers committed to justice, healing, and liberation, it’s time to recognize that ecological justice includes non-human life — not just for their sake, but for the future of all beings.

After all, we are not above nature. We are of it.

“What we do to the web of life, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.” –Chief Seattle

Resources and further reading:

Carrington, D. (2020, June 1). Sixth mass extinction of wildlife accelerating, scientists warn. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/01/sixth-mass-extinction-of-wildlife-accelerating-scientists-warn 

The jane goodall institute homepage. Jane Goodall Institute USA. (2023, December 8). https://janegoodall.org/ 

Kimmerer, R. W. (2020). Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the teachings of plants. Milkweed Editions. 

Surma, K. (2022, February 21). Can rights of nature laws make a difference? in Ecuador, they already are. Inside Climate News. https://insideclimatenews.org/news/21022022/rights-of-nature-laws-ecuador/ 

Weinhues, A. (2021, December 14). What is ecological justice, and why does it matter today?. Transforming Society. https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/2020/10/06/what-is-ecological-justice-and-why-does-it-matter-today/ 

Weston, P. (2024, October 21). Humanity is on the verge of “Shattering Earth’s natural limits”, say experts in Biodiversity warning. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/oct/21/humanity-earth-natural-limits-biodiversity-warning-cop16-conference-scientists-academics