Societal Practitioners and Environmental Protection, Essay Example

Introduction

Societal practitioners are the professionals that work hand in hand with the society to ensure that the environment is protected and is maintained safe for human staying. They may include professionals like sanitarians, public health inspectors, environmental health specialists, and environmental health practitioners.

Balance between societal practice and environmental protection.

Many environmental reports records that at present, the human foot prints has posed danger to the environment for human practices and behaviors affects every part of the planet. Human beings have spread to every ecosystem on the earth and in so doing they tampered with the balance of nature, changed the climate and thus endangered the earth’s sustainability badly. The main issue thus surrounding the 21^st century is to address the emerging ecological calamities before the environment which sustains us is destroyed (Adebowale, 2001, 49-60).

The social practitioners have a vital role in shaping and providing the effective response globally to the environmental crisis while considering the human rights accompanying the response (Adebowale,  2001, 49-60). An environmental problem like water pollution is a common thing that threatens the safety of the earth as a place of human staying. Without water there is no life but because of human activities like farming industrial effluents and even sewage disposal ends up contaminating and polluting water a resource which is vital for society health. So the health practitioner is the person who must make sure that there is a balance between human activities that may cause danger to the environment by ensuring that protective measures are put in place to counter those e activities from polluting and spoiling the environment.

The profession of social worker is therefore uniquely placed to face the environmental challenges due to its action oriented framework and the advocacy role for the practice. But it has been unfortunate that the social practitioners have been focusing only on social and economic justice. So to in order to stop or tamper with the negative effects of modernity ,capitalism, and globalization with their spontaneous un controlled rate of growth, and the resultant environmental consequences  society practitioners need to develop unprecedented level of cooperation internationally (Ashford, & Lortie, 2006,49-50). To balance sustainable development and environmental protection the society practitioners need to move beyond the traditional focus on social and economic justice. They must go a milestone in actively advocating for environmental justice and pursue ardently sustainable development so that everybody in the world can live and enjoy clean, safe, and healthy environment.

It is health for the social worker to properly understand and digest the language that is used to discuss different concepts that have similarities but are distinctively different. For instance, the movements for change which have always being advocated by WHO and UN  goes by many names such as environmentalism, conservation, sustainable development, environmental human rights, and ecology (Adeola, 2000, 896-89). The understanding of these concepts will help the practitioner properly define and know where to apply what concept. For example understanding sustainable development will help in maintaining the balance between the social practice and environmental protection this is due to the fact that sustainable development deals with the process of humanity meeting his daily needs while still maintaining the ability of the future generations to meet their needs as well (Adeola, 2000, 896-89). Like for instance the united nation body which primarily advocates for the worlds poorest and vulnerable people formulated the policy dealing with sustainable development and it incorporated equality in social, economic, and environmental justice. This policy dealt with how resources can be equitably is distributed so that they benefit all the people contrary to the current models which benefited only the affluent societies.

According to the environmental justice movement all individuals have the right to live in a safe, clean, and healthy environment (Bartlett, 2003, 4). Generally the poorest people in the world often live in the polluted environment that affects their social and economic development. So it is the role of the social practitioner to gather the information a bout those societies which are suffering and advocate for their justice while still maintaining the balance of community social and sustainable development because he/she is an expert. The societal practitioner thus must acknowledge the seriousness of environmental protection and human rights crisis and make the society aware of the same. In order to fully strike the balance between the society sustainable development and the protection of the environment the social worker must pursue a policy to enhance environmental justice and human rights protection globally such that as they advocate for human rights they also actively advocate for the protection of the environment as well.

There are so many risks associated with the balance of society practice and environmental protection to people (Bartlett, 2003, 4). When taking measure to protect the rivers against pollution by the erosions of agricultural fertilizers the society may be bared from cultivating near the river banks and yet those places are the most fertile and yields high produce .this may lead to the farmers loosing their economic activities hence the balance affects sustainable development of that society.

The practitioners may also put in place the tools to deal with those organizations that pollute the environment. For example, it can put in place the powers to deal with the environmental anti-social behavior such as water pollution and closure of the premises industries that release the sewages and effluents directly into the rivers.

Conclusion

Striking the balance between the society practices and the environmental protection is crucial to the society. This is due to the fact that environmental protection is key to a good health life which every body has to enjoy. So it is the duty of the community social practitioners to ensure that in their practice they maintain the balance between society development and environmental protection. As seen from above the existence of the balance is beneficial both to the society at large and the environment in which we live.

Works cited

Adebowale,  Panina, Environment and human rights: A new approach to sustainable development. International Institute for Environment and Development. 2001.

Adeola, F. O, Cross-national environmental injustice and human rights issues. American Behavioral Scientist, 43(4), 686-706. 2000 .

Ashford, J. B., & Lortie, K, Human Behavior and the Social Environment: A multidimensional perspective. Belmont, CA: Thompson. 2006.

Bartlett, M.,  Two movements that have shaped a nation: A course in the convergence of professional values and environmental struggles. Critical Social Work, 4(1). 2003.