Advices & Queries 34: Remember your responsibilities as a citizen for the conduct of local, national, and international affairs. Do not shrink from the time and effort your involvement may demand.
I've now seen the National Emergency Briefing (NEB) film twice: the second screening was organised by Lancaster Quaker Climate Action Group. The film was very different from other climate things I've seen, simply because the focus is national.
Like most people I engage with, I tend towards the 'think global, act local' mantra popularised at the Rio Summit of 1992. The point of the NEB is that we need the government to act for us collectively, on a national basis, to mitigate harm and enable adaptation. We hope to support and influence that.
The information in the film comprises sound-bites of the speeches made by leading experts before an invited audience of MPs, peers and faith-leaders in Westminster in November 2025. Each clip was followed by chat-show format reactions hosted by Chris Packham. A key part of the screenings are the guided conversations that follow (this is why the film itself isn't available to watch at home.)
We are then asked to call for “a government-led televised emergency briefing designed to reset public understanding of the climate and nature crisis, communicate the scale and immediacy of the risks we face, and help build support for a collective national response.”
The NEB campaign is about helping the government to change the narrative, thereby paving the way for a government-led response. It strikes me that it needs cross-party support if it isn't to become a political football (easily kicked into the long grass).
As things fall apart – initially with heatwaves, floods, and storms, and a real possibility of breakdown of food supply chains and health provisions in the not-too-distant future – change will come. Without good preparation and leadership, it's likely to set off widespread civil unrest and violence. A national civil response bringing people together to prepare for and mitigate these impacts and reset expectations looks like vital and urgent peace work!
The military are well aware of the realities of climate change and are undoubtedly making preparations. Our hope for the outcome of the NEB might be for military and authoritarian responses to be minimised.
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I'll soon be at an Eco-Advisory Panel meeting with my MP and am reflecting on what I might say...
I think I'll trust that words will be given as Ministry.
Wendy Pattinson
Quakers back national film campaign to spark climate action and justice | Quakers in Britain