The People’s Emergency Briefing

The People’s Emergency Briefing is a documentary information film for public viewing, based on the National Emergency Briefing (NEB) shown at Westminster. 

The NEB was given to an invited audience of over 1,200 politicians and decision-makers from business, culture, sport, and the media. Scientists and experts gave ten-minute presentations about the threats that climate breakdown and nature degradation pose to the UK. The briefing set out the implications for health, food systems, national security and the economy.

The government’s own report from DEFRA states ‘Global ecosystem degradation and collapse threaten UK national security and prosperity’. That report was intended to be published in October but was held back by the government until February, when a redacted version was published.

People will have noticed the increased cost of chocolate, if they purchased Easter Eggs recently, but they may not have realised that severe droughts in Africa caused a rise in the price of cocoa and therefore the price of chocolate. The UK is not self-sufficient in food production, so climate change affecting other countries is affecting us all.

The People’s Emergency Briefing film is lighter in tone than the national briefing but is still alarming and will have an impact on viewers who are still unaware of the severity of the situation. There will be time allowed after the screening for communities to express their reactions and discuss what it means locally. There are screenings taking place across the UK, with over a thousand already planned in various venues from town halls to cathedrals and community centres.