by Anne MacLennan
Chris Packham’s petition calls for a live televised debate, introduced by the Prime Minister and led by independent experts, to brief the public clearly and honestly on the climate and nature crisis, and on what an effective national response requires.The petition passed 100,000 signatures in the middle of August, so the Petitions Committee must now consider it for debate in Parliament. 149 MPs also support the call. See https://www.nebriefing.org for full details.
You can watch a great interview with Mike Berners-Lee on the ClimateGenn podcast. His message is that ‘We are not ready’, so ‘Wake up now’ but he is remarkably upbeat and encouraging (34 minutes).
In January 2026, the Joint Intelligence Committee released A National Security Assessment on global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and national security. The assessment by MI5 and MI6 considers potential impacts on the UK, showing how ‘environmental degradation can disrupt food, water, health and supply chains, and trigger wider geopolitical instability’. No. 10 decided to omit details about the most serious threats from the version released.
ITN became aware of the redacted content (see video above) suggesting that the Government acknowledged the threats, but didn’t want to release the full details because they didn’t have a plan to manage the identified risks. Several organisations including The National Emergency Briefing and Zero Hour have called for release of the full details so that the public can be informed and prepared.
On Thursday 3rd September, Green MP Adrian Ramsey will lead a debate on the
Joint Intelligence Committee’s Assessment in Westminster Hall. Zero Hour has prepared a short briefing for the debate.
Screenings of The People’s Emergency Briefing so far. Though developed for the UK, the film’s message applies worldwide. Click here to see the full worldwide map.
The People’s Emergency briefing
This 50 minute film features short, sharp briefings from a range of experts on impacts of the climate and nature crises on life in the UK, affecting health, food security, the economy and other issues. It is being shown across the UK and overseas, with over 3,000 screenings on the map. For background and more information about the film, see this article.
Importantly, the screenings are followed by discussion, and ideally lead to action. There has only been one screening on Skye so far, hosted by ReRoot, and it needs to be seen by as many people as possible. If you, or a local group, would like to show it in your community, just go to the National Emergency Briefing website to register your interest, read more about it and/or contact me for further information at reroot@tighgorm.scot. It’s a simple process and free of charge.