The National Emergency Briefing – the first of its kind – was held at Westminster Central Hall on the 27th of November. At the event, ten of the UK’s leading experts spoke to an invite-only audience of politicians, leaders and the media. In the audience were Jane Langley, founder of Blue Patch, board members Mark Harris and Alice C Doyle, a chartered environmentalist who supports our net zero training.
The initiative was organised by Simon and Nick Oldridge. Nick, when interviewed, spoke about the serious nature of the briefing and the choice of venue was key – it was used by the United Nations for a meeting in 1947.
Chris Packham, naturalist & nature photographer and TV personality opened the talks, once introduced by chair Professor Mike Berners-Lee. His emotive and motivating introduction focused on “our one and only home” – the only one we have got. He used a prop of the planet earth on his phone extended on a rod to show how small it is from a distance. His call to action was for the media to stop using sensationalist headlines and misrepresenting the facts. He wants the leaders (political and media) to inform the UK public about the climate crisis. He asked the audience to listen and learn the facts from the scientists who would speak later.
The National Emergency Briefing
Mike Berners-Lee is an expert in carbon footprinting at Lancaster University, writer, leader at Small World Consulting and contributor to Carbon Commons, ‘an open-source (licenced) dataset of ‘hybridised’ emissions factors for any organisation to use’. He emphasised that the situation is ‘extremely serious, urgent and it affects us all here in the UK’. That’s why the meeting was named the ‘National Emergency Briefing’.
He passed on to Professor Nathalie Seddon, who is Professor of Biodiversity at the University of Oxford. She opened with the sobering fact that the UK is in the bottom 10% of nature depleted countries in the biodiversity intactness index (Natural History Museum). This matters because nature is not a ‘nice to have’, it is a “critical national infrastructure”. Natural systems are breaking down, exposing us to risk from flooding, fire, heat waves, food insecurity and economic instability. When we restore it, we build resilience.
Next to speak at The National Emergency Briefing was Professor Kevin Anderson, who is Professor of energy and climate change at the Universities of Manchester, Uppsala and Bergen, told us that we are on track to reach 2 degrees of warming by the middle of this century and up to 4 degrees by the end of the century. “The prospects of 3 or 4 degrees of warming are absolutely dire. I mean we cannot risk that at all. It is an extreme and unstable climate far beyond any safe zone that has nurtured our civilization”.
Professor Hayley Fowler, Professor of Climate Change Impacts at Newcastle University highlighted flooding in Germany in 2021, Valencia in 2024 causing 220 deaths, Storm Daniel in 2023 which hit Greece and later Libya causing 5,000 deaths and Storm Boris in 2024 which cost 2 billion euros in damages. “These events are not warnings of what might happen in the future. They’re actually examples of what’s happening right now”.
Professor Tim Lenton, Chair in Climate Change and Earth System Science at the University of Exeter spoke about tipping points, using the example of leaning back in your chair “until you know that a small change is going to make a big difference to your state or your fate”. After this it is self propelling and happens fast. He has studied multiple tipping points and his data shows that we are heading towards several of them.
Professor Paul Behrens, British Academy Global Professor and expert in food system transformations spoke next about the impact that climate change has on food security. Food scarcity, empty supermarket shelves, queues for food, lead to protests and civil unrest. Drought, flood, fires, and heat extremes are all increasing. This could lead to one third of agricultural land being unsuitable for food by the end of the century.
“Paul’s opening image of shelves empty of produce is one we should share with UK consumers. The direct and immediate cost of pushing ecosystems out of balance and the ravages of weather extremes is exactly this – food and water shortages will be hitting vulnerable communities worldwide. We need to wake up and start to reverse global heating.”
– Jane Langley, founder of Blue Patch.
Professor Hugh Montgomery is the Director of the Centre for Human Health at University College London. He is an NHS doctor and the theme of his talk was response to an emergency does not include talk and homeopathy – “you respond with genuine action.” He is used to honest conversations that include ‘I can’t do anything to help you’ or ‘here is what you need to do to change’ and ‘here is the risk of continuing to do what you do or do nothing’. He was part of a commission for the Lancet countdown and this year 12 of the 20 key indicators have been broken this year.
“Climate change is the biggest global health threat of the 21st century” (Lancet)
“Both Paul and Hugh explained the health and climate benefits of a plant-based diet, even if we moderated our meat intake, that’s an all round positive action. I believe we can all manage that?”
– Jane Langley, founder of Blue Patch
Lieutenant General Richard Nugee is a retired senior British Army Officer and leading voice on climate and national security opened with the question “What does this matter to our national security?” “Because the threat picture is shifting faster than we expected and faster than we anticipated.” His call to action is that “We must be better prepared for the threats coming towards us in this country. And they are not just military. They’re threats to the fabric of this great country of ours which require action.”
Angela Francis is a green economic policy expert who tells us that we are in transition and that the old rules are no longer working. There are two things that are slowing us down: the market rules and the old guard. “We currently produce and consume in a way that doesn’t factor in our impact on the planet.” The solution – “We need to consistently reward businesses that are doing the work to be competitive in a new world where success includes lowering carbon, restoring soils, keeping forest standing, circular use of resources, and less waste. All things that add to our resilience.” Those that don’t are currently getting the same support as those that do, which is wrong.
Tessa Khan is an energy transition expert, a lawyer and campaigner. She built on Angela’s talk by discussing the price of energy, where skyrocketing prices have driven inflation and cost of living increases. Moving away from fossil fuels is the answer. But “unless we ensure that renewable energy and electrification, which are the best route away from fossil fuels, are more affordable for people than the status quo, it’s a genuine threat I would say, to the public mandate for decarbonisation.”
“Angela Francis and Tessa Khan painted an uplifting picture of a clean energy system to power up the UK, give us energy security and reduce costs. Why did fossil fuel lobbyists get away with blocking progress at COP30? We need a society-led campaign to support GB Energy, community energy and the Great National Grid upgrade. Let’s get behind the energy transition as a nation.”
– Jane Langley, founder of Blue Patch
The National Emergency Briefing – a call to action
“We are the resistance’ – this was the NEB’s call to action. Blue Patch is already tackling emissions through our Carbon Reduction course, and we need to move faster, enlist hundreds of businesses that are prepared to bring down their carbon emissions. This event was a turning point; climate-related wildfires and hurricanes are a terrifying interconnected series of ‘earth traumas’. This is not the inheritance our kids deserve. Watch the NEB film, pass it forward so the truth will spread and hopefully stir up support for UK decarbonisation – one brilliant, logical solution that we can all get behind immediately.”
– Jane Langley, founder of Blue Patch
Mike Berners-Lee then asked the audience to sign the letter to the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and media leaders asking them to inform the public. Sign the letter here: https://www.nebriefing.org/open-letter-keir
Watch the reading of the letter: The reading of the letter
Listen to the reasons for signing the letter from Just Have A Think: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sa7uh192r0
Learn more about the National Emergency Briefing: https://www.nebriefing.org/