Is it too late?

[The audience in Batheaston]

Good to see such a great turnout in Batheaston, where more than 100 people gathered at the Village Hall recently for a screening of The People’s Emergency Briefing, followed by a public discussion about the issues raised in the film.

The screening formed part of a wider UK programme of events designed to help communities engage with the climate and nature crisis.

In November 2025, the UK’s leading climate and nature scientists gathered at Westminster Central Hall to brief an audience of more than 1,000 politicians, business leaders and decision-makers.

Ten experts set out, in clear and unflinching terms, what the climate and nature crisis means for our health, food supply, national security and economy – and the credible, positive responses already available.

Most MPs weren’t there. Most of the public has never seen the evidence.

The People’s Emergency Briefing is the 50-minute film of that night. It brings together the scientific testimony with reactions from members of the public and familiar faces, including Jennifer Saunders and Deborah Meaden, designed to help audiences engage with the evidence on a human level.

It’s part of a national initiative to ensure the UK is fully and honestly briefed on the crisis, and to build public support for a televised government emergency briefing as the first step toward a serious national response.

The film features naturalist Chris Packham, who has said that ”This new film creates exactly the kind of honest local conversation we now urgently need, both about the threat from climate and nature breakdown, but also about what we can do, together with our politicians, to build a better future.” 

After the showing in Batheaston, the audience’s reactions ranged from feelings of grief and anger to being inspired to act.  

The event was organised by Grow Batheaston, a local charity based in Batheaston, and was attended by councillors from BANES and Batheaston Parish Council.

A Grow Batheaston representative said, “We had to stop taking bookings when we reached the capacity of the hall. It appears that many people want reliable information about the issues and a chance to discuss them openly together.

After our discussion, we were left with many challenging questions including ‘How can we support our children?’, ‘Do we have enough time to act?’ and ‘Who controls the news?’.”