As diversity and inclusion initiatives face an increasingly hostile environment, a leading think tank is trying to boost visibility and platforms for marginalised people at 180 charities.
Funding from the National Lottery Commission will be used to help platform people and communities on the frontline of the climate crisis. The focus will fall on groups who are traditionally left out of debate around mitigation and adaptation.
The project, delivered by social sector think tank NPC, will support 180 smaller charities in representing hard-to-reach communities, amplifying their concerns and extending their influence. This includes people with disabilities, those from ethnic minorities, and low income voices across England and Scotland.
A total of 60 advocates from these demographics will be trained in effective communication methods and how to advocate for change in the media. These effort will be supported through the publication of new research on climate, nature loss, government policy, including those relating to gender equality, and the LGBTQIA+ community.
‘We need to be recognised and involved as the facts are that Disabled people are twice as likely as any other group to die in disasters. We know that environmental pollution is creating childhood disability, impairing children’s health, and reducing their life chances, and we know that higher temperatures are more likely to affect people with disabilities or pre-existing conditions that limit the body’s ability to stay cool,’ said Kamran Mallick, Disability Rights UK CEO.
‘There are more than 1 billion Disabled people in the world. However, we currently have no input into policy, discussions and environmental solutions, meaning that laws, policies, and programmes don’t consider the needs of Disabled people or the impact of proposed change,’ the continued. ‘By working with NPC, we are confident we will begin to see an end to “eco-ableism” and begin to educate the wider world on the need for co-operation.’
It has long been recognised that environmental charities have an inclusion problem. Last year, Environment Journal reported on how just 6% of the UK green non-profit workforce identified as a person of colour. This was actually down on the previous year, although the absence of data stretching further back in time mean it was impossible to identify a backwards trend.
Diversity in the workplace is a big political talking point in 2025 as the White House continues to purge DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) initiatives from government agencies. But while the aggressive approach to this is new, this is just the latest phase in an ongoing reversal of attempts to increase representation among groups including women, people with disabilities, the LGBTQIA+ community, and ethnic minorities.
In the US, even before Donald Trump returned to the presidency last month, ‘DEI hiring’ was down by 88% compared with three years prior. In the UK, a similar pattern has been identified, with a 70% fall in ‘DEI roles’ at British organisations, according to The Telegraph. Using data compiled by the job site Adzuna, it’s not clear what definition was used to determine whether a vacancy constituted a ‘DEI opportunity’.
‘Low-income groups contribute the least to causing climate change but are likely to be the most impacted both by its effects, as well as by government policies for increases in transport costs, carbon taxes and plastic levies. In this context, the lack of representation of Black, ethnic minority and disabled perspectives in the climate debate is concerning,’ said Su-Mei Thompson, Media Trust CEO.
Image: Hitesh Choudhary / Unsplash
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