It’s the start of the formalisation of the Church of the Carbon Footprint.

Basically, if you decide to lead our life by a moral code that is not based in a religion, you can use the discrimination laws to protect you. That is what this person did.

I think it sets a worrying precedent.

I think you guys are letting anti-environmentalist paranoia affect your comprehension skills.

It's quite clear from the story that the case is about whether or not the guy lost his job for reasons other than those stated (the need to lay off non essential staff in a recession). The only relevance of the environmentalism issue is derived from the fact that he was employed in an environmental capacity.

That's because they aren't arguing about that yet.

I would assume that he went before an employment tribunal, and they ruled that the issue was outside their remit the law on what counts as a "religion, religious belief, or philosophical belief" is really rather vague.

So he had to go before a judge and argue that the law protects him against dismissal for being a greenyite on the grounds that this qualifies as "a philosophy"

The judge agreed so now he gets his day in court to argue about whether he was made redundant for normal reasons, or because he was annoyingly ecomaniacal. If the former, he loses, if the latter he gets money.