[Photo from the screening (Wera Hobhouse MP standing front centre) – credit Wera Hobhouse MP]
Late last year, ten of the UK’s leading experts briefed an invited audience of over 1,200 politicians and leaders from business, culture, faith, sport and the media about the implications of climate and nature breakdown for health, food systems, national security and the economy.
Now a 45-minute film is taking the message into towns and cities across the UK into village halls, cinemas, faith spaces and workplaces.
Dubbed the “People’s Emergency Briefing” the community screenings aim to bring constituents, civic leaders and MPs together to hear the evidence – and consider what an emergency response should look like.
Bath Liberal Democrat MP Wera Hobhouse attended a screening of the film at St John’s Church Hall, in the city. Combining authoritative scientific content from the Westminster event with reactions from members of the public and some more familiar faces, the short film is designed to help audiences process the information on a more human level.
The screening was followed by a structured discussion, supported by guidance from the NEB team, who were on hand to ensure the conversation remained constructive and focused on solutions, and on helping people process the information emotionally.
Many of those attending the event commented that although the facts are alarming, they felt a sense of optimism about confronting the challenge together.
Wera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat MP for Bath, commented:
“This excellent film delivers frank facts about the threats from climate and nature breakdown – but also the enormous benefits if the government leads genuine emergency action to combat them.
“By enabling communities and decision-makers to engage with the same evidence together, the screening programme aims to create informed dialogue at the local and national level.
“I will continue to press the Government to take the climate emergency seriously to create a pathway to a better future.”
