National Emergency Briefing

The National Emergency Briefing refers to the The UK’s National Emergency Briefing on the Climate & Nature crisis, the first of which was held on 27 November, 2025. The briefing saw the UK’s leading experts brief an invite-only audience of 1,250 politicians and leaders from business, culture, faith, sport and the media with the latest implications of the climate and nature crisis for health, food, national security and the economy. The event included representation from built environment professionals and presentations form experts covering various aspects of the emergency, including:

• Chris Packham CBE: Opening Statement
• Prof Mike Berners Lee: Chair
• Prof Hayley Fowler: Weather extremes
• Prof Kevin Anderson: Climate / Energy
• Tessa Khan: Energy Transition
• Prof Paul Behrens: Food security
• Prof Nathalie Seddon: Nature
• Prof Hugh Montgomery: Health impacts
• Lt General Richard Nugee: National security
• Angela Francis: Economics
• Prof Tim Lenton: Tipping points

The event also called for a similar public briefing event and included the preparation of an open letter to heads of government and media channels calling for better knowledge dissemination, gathering almost 30,00 signatures, it reads:

"Sir Keir Starmer; Tim Davie (BBC); Carolyn McCall (ITV); Jonathan Allan (Channel 4); Sarah Rose (Channel 5); Geraint Evans (S4C); and Dame Melanie Dawes (Ofcom)

"Today, hundreds of MPs, Peers, and leaders from business, faith, sport, and culture gathered in Westminster for a National Emergency Briefing.

"We were presented with the latest evidence showing that the United Kingdom must urgently prepare for a cascade of serious societal impacts. The rapidly escalating climate and nature crises are set to make the UK increasingly unrecognisable and dangerous, with extreme weather events, the risk of food shortages, price shocks, economic instability and rising geopolitical risks.

"We are deeply alarmed by the scale of fossil fuel–funded disinformation that has flooded Westminster and the media. The lack of public access to accurate, science-based information has created a vacuum which has been filled by polarised headlines designed to deny and delay action.

"Under the Communications Act 2003, all public service broadcasters must inform the public on major national and international issues. The UK has so far failed to meet these obligations. The Climate Change Committee has also urged the Government to provide trusted public information.

"We therefore ask the Government and all public service broadcasters to hold an urgent televised national emergency briefing for the public, and to run a comprehensive public engagement campaign so that everyone understands the profound risks this crisis poses to themselves and their families.

"If delivered urgently and truthfully, with ambition matching the scale of the crisis, this will not only ensure that the public is properly informed but will also offer the protection that knowledge and preparedness bring. Such a campaign will resonate with the public, opening up the political space for the action needed.

"We are not safe. This is an emergency. Now is the time for courage and to put trust in the public. The UK has a track record of uniting to face difficult challenges. Now is the time to do this again."

To find out more about the information discussed or to sign the letter follow this link https://www.nebriefing.org/

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