The People’s Emergency Briefing screening and next steps

On Friday 26 June 2026, at the end of an extremely hot and humid London Climate Action week, ActForEaling joined with local partners, the University of West London and Ealing Transition Initiative, to show the film “the People’s Emergency Briefing”. At People’s Emergency Briefing screening, despite record temperatures outside, fifty members of the public, representatives from community organisations, and local councillors, packed into Freddie’s Bar to watch the film and to take part in a post-viewing discussion.

The People’s Emergency Briefing film acts as a short summary of the “National Emergency Briefing” (NEB) which took place in the Methodist Central Hall Westminster in November 2025. The original in-person event invited MPs from the Houses of Parliament to listen to experts present the latest evidence on the threats from climate change and to make the case that the climate and nature emergencies pose an immediate a threat to British life. After the briefing, NEB organisers called on the Government to take the threat seriously, specifically demanded that the Government stage a televised “emergency briefing” to highlight the dangers.

Alongside a number of sobering scenarios that the UK could face as average temperatures continue to rise, the film also made a number of positive economic arguments for action, debunking some of the leading “bad” arguments against net zero based on cost and/or effectiveness. Economist Angela Francis for example points out that the investment needed for the green transition is only around 0.2% of GDP, and that this would start to “pay back” in as little as 15 years (2041). She also remarked that a greater investment in renewables 5 years ago, would have saved households from recent spikes in heating and energy costs, and would have lowered inflation by 7% or more. To anyone who says we can’t afford to transition to net zero, the real answer is that we cannot afford not to!

After the People’s Emergency Briefing screening, the audience split into smaller groups to discuss their reaction to what they had heard, and to consider actions that they could now take to encourage a greater response from society and MPs. A main call to action was to spread the word about the film, put on further screenings, and to call on MPs to support a national televised briefing and further action. You can find out about the results of the discussion here.

The film is being shown around London at other venues, by other local volunteer groups. At the time of writing, screenings are taking place in the next few weeks or months at ActOne Cinema in Acton, the Kings Arms in Brentford, the IMPACT Community Arts Centre in Perivale, and St Mellitus Church in Hanwell. You can check details in at the National Emergency Briefing Screening Map here.

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