Climate & nature · Public briefing
The National Emergency Briefing
In November 2025, some of the UK’s leading climate and nature experts briefed Parliament on what the climate and nature crisis means for our food, health, security and economy. I gave the briefing on food security — here is what it is, and how you can see it.
What the briefing is
On 27 November 2025, around 1,200 MPs, peers, civil servants, mayors and civic, business and faith leaders gathered at Central Hall Westminster for the UK’s first National Emergency Briefing on the climate and nature crisis. Chaired by Mike Berners-Lee and opened by the naturalist Chris Packham, a group of the UK’s leading experts set out the evidence — soberly and without spin — on what climate and nature breakdown means for food security, health, national security, infrastructure and the economy, alongside the credible, positive responses available to us.
Its central ask is a simple one: that the Government give the public an honest, expert briefing — on prime-time television — so that everyone can understand the risks and the opportunities ahead. The briefing is deliberately not prescriptive about which policies to choose; it is about being straight with people on the scale of the challenge.
My briefing: food security
I gave the briefing on food security. My argument, in short: the UK’s food system is a national-security issue, and we are less prepared than we should be. We rely on imports from regions that are increasingly exposed to climate extremes, and the shocks are arriving faster than our planning assumes. The biggest lever we have is a shift towards more plant-rich diets, alongside cutting waste and building resilience into supply — changes that also free up land, lower emissions and improve our health.
“We have to be straight with people about the choices ahead, because if we don’t lead this change on the front foot, we’ll be forced into it anyway as food shocks intensify.”
— Paul Behrens, food-security briefing, National Emergency BriefingMy food-security briefing at Central Hall Westminster.
The People’s Emergency Briefing
The briefing has now been made for everyone. The People’s Emergency Briefing is a film — around fifty minutes, fronted by Chris Packham — that brings the same evidence to the public, with reactions from people around the country and familiar faces watching along. It launched across the UK in April 2026 and is built to be watched by communities together, ideally with their local MP in the room.
It sets out the frank facts, but also the opportunity: bold, urgent action on climate and nature would improve lives and livelihoods in every part of the country. You can watch it, find a screening near you, or host your own.
See the briefing for yourself
Whether you’re a member of the public, a community group or a policymaker, the National Emergency Briefing is meant to be seen and shared. Watch it, screen it, and ask your representatives to do the same.