Discrimination on the Grounds of a Belief in Climate Change
The 2009 British case of Grainger plc v Nicholson discussed whether a belief in the urgent need to cut carbon emissions could be a protected characteristic for the purposes of equality law. The Claimant explained that their sincere belief in the following way:
“I have a strongly held philosophical belief about climate change and the environment. I believe we must urgently cut carbon emissions to avoid catastrophic climate change.”
Fast forward 14 years, and we note that the Equality and Human Rights Commission uses a ‘belief in man-made climate change’ as an example of what qualifies as a philosophical belief:
“an employee believes strongly in man-made climate change and feels that they have a duty to live their life in a way which limits their impact on the earth to help save it for future generations: this would be classed as a belief and protected under the Equality Act.”
In cases of alleged discrimination, a Claimant would need to show that they hold the belief genuinely. Here’s what the Claimant said:
“It is not merely an opinion but a philosophical belief which affects how I live my life including my choice of home, how I travel, what I buy, what I eat and drink, what I do with my waste and my hopes and my fears. For example, I no longer travel by airplane, I have eco-renovated my home, I try to buy local produce, I have reduced my consumption of meat, I compost my food waste, I encourage others to reduce their carbon emissions and I fear very much for the future of the human race, given the failure to reduce carbon emissions on a global scale.”
The Claimant provided evidence that their principles affected the way they lived their life in ways that many of us will recognise. Here are other practices we demonstrate a genuine belief in the urgent need to cut carbon emissions:
Our energy reduction practices
Avoiding buying products in plastic and unnecessary packaging
Recycling water, perhaps in the garden
Buy ‘pre-loved’ instead of new, buying less, or with a quality over quantity ethos
Eating a vegan diet
Being involved with green initiatives or environmental groups
Being selective about investment options
Growing our own food
Buying eco-friendly cleaning products
Sourcing from retailers with eco friendly practices and policies, or from those with recognised certifications such as Fair Trade
The principles we pass on to our children
Isn’t it time we made more use of this protected characteristic to protect, nonhuman animals, their habitats, our planet and ourselves?