# Some Actions in Response to the National Emergency Briefing and Film POTENTIAL LOCAL ACTIONS (More may be added, all suggestions very welcome via ) Local Councils Alone · Adopt a [biodiversity policy](https://www.slcc.co.uk/site/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/MD-223-Model-Biodiversity-Policy.pdf) including identification and management of council land · Adopt a stance on [biodiversity-enhancing planning applications](https://www.slcc.co.uk/site/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/GN-137-Revised-Planning-Application-Guidance-April-2025.pdf) · Assist implementation of the [Local Nature Recovery Strategy](https://wiki.greatcollaboration.uk/knowledgebase/biodiversity/local-nature-recovery-strategies) to inform biodiversity policy by developing a bespoke Town & Parish council nature recovery plan – [see example](https://middlemarchescommunitylandtrust.org.uk/nature-recovery-town-parish-councils/) · Carry out [rapid flood risk assessment](https://wiki.greatcollaboration.uk/knowledgebase/landscape/great-outdoors/flooding) and implement natural flood management schemes · [Create new allotments](https://www.slcc.co.uk/site/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Creating-New-Allotments-October-2023.pdf) and farming entry opportunities for young people · Declare a climate emergency and appoint a climate lead councillor · Plan to reduce own carbon emissions, including [energy efficiency of buildings](https://www.slcc.co.uk/site/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GN-175-Guidance-on-carbon-saving-building-improvements-September-2023.pdf) and vehicles · Provide appropriate training for councillors · Publicise and support community initiatives such as [repair cafes](https://communityrepairnetwork.org.uk/find/) · Ringfence 10% of precept money for nature projects Local Councils with Community · [Bee Squares](https://climateactionnow.uk/bee-squares/) · [Bioblitz](https://www.bnhc.org.uk/run-your-own-bioblitz) / biodiversity audits to inform [biodiversity net gain](https://www.slcc.co.uk/site/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GN135-Guidance-Note-Planning-A-Simple-Guide-to-Biodiversity-Net-Gain-BNG.pdf) advice to planning applications · Clear rights of way to support active travel · [Community emergency plan](https://www.slcc.co.uk/site/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Revised-Community-Emergency-Plan-Template-February-2026.pdf), working together on advance responses e.g. to flooding · [Community energy project](https://www.cse.org.uk/my-community/future-energy-landscapes/) · [Develop and monitor a neighbourhood plan](https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/neighbourhood-planning-toolkits) with climate change and nature recovery elements - NB raising awareness of the neighbourhood plan’s policies will increase its use and impact · Encourage / facilitate [car clubs](https://www.como.org.uk/shared-cars/existing-schemes-and-operators) e.g. by allocating a parking space in public car park · Give out small grants from precept money to communities supporting nature recovery projects · Host Climate Fairs with local, eco-friendly sellers · Initiate and support local meadow groups - [see example](https://www.marchesmeadowgroup.com/) · Initiatives around food waste, such as working with young people on how to use up ingredients to make tasty meals - this not only helps with food waste but life skills for healthy eating. · Install [electric vehicle charging points](https://wiki.greatcollaboration.uk/knowledgebase/journeys/low-carbon-vehicles), either on-street or in car parks · [Join a local network](https://greatcollaboration.uk/about-us/local-networks/) to share good practice (newly created examples in [Essex](https://sustainable.essex.gov.uk/environmental-collaboration-essex) and [Norfolk](https://www.norfolkalc.gov.uk/norfolk-environmental-collaboration/)) · Loan thermal imaging cameras – [see example](https://kenilworth-tc.gov.uk/information/thermal-imaging-cameras/) · Organise markets promoting local sellers, particularly locally-grown produce · Plant street trees · [Right tree, right place](https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/plant-trees/advice/); promote via neighbourhood plan and planning application responses, the planting of site-specific trees and hedgerows that complement its biodiversity. · Lead by example, utilising [free tree packs](https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/plant-trees/schools-and-communities/?utm_source=google\&utm_medium=PPC\&utm_campaign=CTP24\&utm_content=CTP2\&gad_source=1\&gad_campaignid=22868369509\&gclid=CjwKCAiAh5XNBhAAEiwA_Bu8FchTsyOt-gJx6Dr2oVCVUq2XpjXK1W1ajXKZSz2MGFms2JhYP-2-WhoCNWMQAvD_BwE) available to local authorities. · Start a De-Pave project - [see example](https://www.oswestry-tc.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/84/2024/07/Item-12-Appendix-H-Oswestry-DePave-Project-Council-10th-July-2024.pdf) · Support the creation of micro tree nurseries · Switch off night lights – reducing light pollution Local Councils in a Cluster · Create clusters of councils working cooperatively to address local climate / nature issues such as natural flood management & green corridors – [see example](https://redgrave.onesuffolk.net/parish-council/environment/climate-change/) · Restore roadside verges to long linear meadows - [see example ](https://www.restoringshropshirevergesproject.org.uk/) · Start a Hedgerow Heroes project - [see example](https://www.cpreshropshire.org.uk/hedgerow-project) · Support the creation of farming clusters - [see example](https://www.shropshireclimateaction.org/news/the-role-of-the-upper-onny-farmers%27-group) – including regenerative farming Local Councils with Other Bodies · Assist local people to install home insulation, solar panels etc · Bring back Lengthsmen / Women to work on roads and paths · Bulk purchasing to support local retrofitting · Create traffic free town centres · Implement a visitor levy to raise money for climate change activities · [Incredible Edible](https://www.incredibleedible.org.uk/) planting on public land · Return local authority contracts with big multinational contracts back to local Town & Parish control – e.g. Highways, Social care · Spend second homes council tax locally · Support the development of [Community Land Trusts](https://www.communitylandtrusts.org.uk/) to protect & enhance nature AND take control of community owned affordable housing. · Work to integrate bus and train timetables All of the above may be supported by [fundraising or grant funding](https://www.slcc.co.uk/site/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/AD426-Funding-Sources-for-Climate-Environmental-Action-As-Reviewed-17-03-26.pdf) TEN-MINUTE FILM The Great Collaboration has prepared a [short film](https://youtu.be/QXcyx7GimxQ) based on such practical action to share alongside the 50-minute People’s Emergency Briefing film based on the November National Emergency Briefing. POTENTIAL LOBBYING · Write to MP on behalf of the National Emergency Briefing – see [sample letter](https://www.nebriefing.org/parliamentary-call) on the National Emergency Briefing website · Comment on Local Plan and central planning proposals

NATIONAL EMERGENCY BRIEFING

Key Points Made November 2025

Nature Professor Nathalie Seddon * The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries on Earth. Only about 53% of our biodiversity remains; one in six species faces extinction. This is a loss of vital functions — pollination, clean water, flood regulation - not just wildlife. * Nature loss is a national security and economic risk. Continued degradation could cause a major economic shock - while leaving millions of homes exposed to flooding and heat. * Restoring nature is one of the highest-return investments available. Wetlands, peatlands, hedgerows and urban trees cut flood risk, prevent heat deaths, protect food supplies, store carbon and create skilled jobs — at far lower cost than rebuilding after disasters. * We are still paying to destroy our own life-support system. Public money and finance continue to subsidise pollution and ecosystem damage, actively increasing long-term risk. * The public is ahead of the Government. Most people want stronger action to protect and restore nature - and the science shows we know exactly what works. LOCAL ACTION: Local Nature Recovery Strategies, Biodiversity Net Gain, Biodiversity Policy Climate Professor Kevin Anderson We are pushing the climate far beyond the conditions that nurtured civilisation. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels are now higher than at any point in at least 800,000 years, and still rising every year. * 2°C of global heating is highly likely by 2050, and there’s a very real possibility of 4°C by 2100. * 3° to 4°C degrees of heating means the collapse of our systems. We would be in an extreme and unstable climate, far beyond the safe zone that our civilisation grew up in. We would face the widespread breakdown of society, geopolitical instability, and the loss of any meaningful global economy. * If we keep burning fossil fuels, temperatures will keep rising. Cutting 'a bit' is not enough: fossil fuels must be eliminated, or warming - and risk - simply accelerates. * There is now no viable way to stay below the world's target of 1.5°C. And at current emissions rates, the world will use up the carbon 'budget' for staying below 2°C in just 13 years . * Every single month we burn through another 0.7% of the remaining budget for 2°C. * UK ‘climate leadership’ is a myth. Once we rightly include aviation, shipping and imports, UK emissions have fallen by only around 20% since 1990 - well under 1% a year - and our UK current plans claim three times our fair share of the remaining global carbon budget. * Power stations using carbon capture, blue hydrogen made from natural gas, and bioenergy at Drax are delay technologies, designed to avoid effective legislation, and keep polluters in business. After 30 years of promises, carbon capture and storage captures less than 0.03% of global fossil emissions. These technologies completely ignore substantial overseas supply chain emissions (which can’t be captured), while locking in continued fossil fuel use at public expense. * We already have genuine solutions, and these must be deployed at emergency speed. Insulation, renewables, electrification, public transport and energy efficiency already work now and cut emissions fast. * Fairness is essential to avoiding the worst impacts of climate change. High-income, high-emitting groups - not ordinary households - are responsible for most emissions and must cut their energy use. * The choice is stark. Either we organise a rapid, fair transformation of society - or climate change forces chaotic, violent change upon us instead. LOCAL ACTION: Retrofitting, community energy, shared transport (cascade Government targets?) Weather Extremes Professor Hayley Fowler * Extreme weather is not a future threat — it’s happening now. Europe has already seen “mega” floods and lethal heat. The UK is not exempt. * The UK is getting wetter in winter, and faster than models predicted. UK winter rainfall is up around 10% since 1980. That is 7.3 billion cubic metres of extra water each winter, or about 3 million Olympic swimming pools. The trend is worryingly around 25 years ahead of global model projections. * Flood risk is becoming a national-scale issue. By 2050, 8 million properties (1 in 4) in England could be at risk of flooding. An event of the scale of Storm Boris, which brought severe flooding to central Europe in 2024, would be a national crisis for the UK, with recovery taking years. * Extreme summer heat is escalating fast - and it kills. The UK hit 40°C for the first time on 19 July 2022. This was linked to around 3,000 excess deaths. The Met Office puts the chance of another 40°C day next year at around 4% - and rising. * Wildfire is now a UK risk, not just abroad. Hotter, drier summers are driving fires on heathland, forests and city edges — with fire services increasingly stretched beyond capacity during extreme heat. * Our infrastructure was built for a climate that no longer exists. Raised reservoirs, drainage, housing and transport were designed many years ago when extreme rainfall was rare and less severe. As rainfall intensifies, risks such as dam overtopping and cascading failures rise. * The UK is not adapting fast enough. The Climate Change Committee’s assessment is blunt: progress is too slow, with no sector outcome rated “good”, and major gaps in governance, responsibility and funding. * Adaptation is a “triple win” - and it pays back. Flood-absorbing parks, cooler greener cities, better insulation and resilient infrastructure protect people, cut bills, improve health and create skilled jobs, as in Copenhagen, which reinvented itself as a 'sponge city' after devastating floods. * This is the least extreme climate you will experience. Until we stop burning fossil fuels, extremes keep worsening - so we must cut emissions and build resilience now. LOCAL ACTION: Flood risk assessment, emergency planning including advance responses Tipping Points Professor Tim Lenton * Tipping points are thresholds beyond which change becomes unstoppable. Once crossed, the climate can shift abruptly into a new stable state that is extremely hard to reverse. * The risk rises with every fraction of a degree. As global warming moves beyond 1.5°C, the likelihood of triggering multiple, interacting tipping points increases sharply - with cascading effects. * Some tipping points are already being crossed. Coral reef systems have effectively tipped, threatening the livelihoods of about 500 million people and removing vital coastal protection worldwide from storm surges made worse by rising sea levels. * The biggest risk for the UK is the failure of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). This great ocean current keeps the UK’s climate mild. It is already weakening and could tip at around 2°C of warming. * An AMOC tipping point would transform the UK into an unrecognisable place. There would be winters of -20°C in London and –30°C in Edinburgh, with Arctic sea ice likely to reach down as far as East Anglia. But there would also be hotter summers, combined with severe water shortages due to significantly lower rainfall. This would end large-scale agriculture in the UK. * Near 2°C, the odds of crossing this tipping point are worse than Russian roulette. By around 3°C, it becomes more likely than not. * There is only one credible way to reduce this risk: accelerate to zero emissions fast. The longer we linger above 1.5°C, the higher the danger. * The good news is that positive tipping points exist. Clean technologies and social change can also become self-reinforcing, driving rapid transformation - as the UK already proved by tipping coal out of power generation. * Strong policy triggers tipping points. We need clear ambitious phase-out dates for fossil fuels in cars, boilers, power and freight. We also need to activate market feedbacks that make clean options cheaper, faster and inevitable. * This is a race between two futures. Either we trigger positive societal tipping points toward a clean, prosperous system, or we gamble on dangerous climate tipping points we cannot control. LOCAL ACTION: Reduce carbon emissions Food Security Professor Paul Behrens * Food system failure is a direct national security risk. When food systems break, the result is empty shelves, price spikes, unrest and political instability — and the UK is woefully unprepared. * The climate that gave us reliable harvests is gone. Compound extremes — heat, drought, floods and fires striking together across global breadbaskets — are becoming normal. For example, before climate change, a major corn harvest failure might happen once every 16 years, but at 1.5°C, this can be expected once every 3 years, and every other year at 2°C. * The UK is already feeling it. Three of the five worst cereal harvests on record have occurred this decade. Over 80% of UK farmers say climate change seriously threatens their livelihoods. * We are dangerously dependent on imports. The UK imports 40–50% of its food, much from climate-stressed regions like the Mediterranean. Extreme weather abroad now directly drives food prices and hardship at home. * Rising food prices are a social fault line. About one-third of food price inflation in 2023 was driven by extreme weather. When families cannot afford food, societies destabilise. * Our food system is undermining its own security. It is a major driver of greenhouse gas emissions, habitat destruction, water and air pollution, freshwater depletion, resistance to antibiotics and pandemic risk. * A food system transformation is unavoidable - and beneficial. We must shift to healthy, plant-rich diets, cut waste, improve production and make our farming methods more resilient. * Switching to a plant-rich diet is the biggest lever for improving food security. Animal agriculture uses about 85% of UK farmland. Moving to plant-rich diets could cut agricultural emissions by about 60%, free up an area of land almost the size of Scotland, and allow the UK to feed more people from less land. * A plant-rich diet is a win-win for people, farmers and nature. Health improves, NHS costs fall, water and air quality improve, flood risk drops, rural jobs grow, and farmers’ incomes can rise if supported to deliver food, nature and climate security. * The choice is stark. Lead the transition now, or be forced into it later by food shocks, rising prices and instability. LOCAL ACTION: Allotments, Incredible Edible, support local farmers and farm shops Health Professor Hugh Montgomery * Dealing with climate change is no longer about “risk” - it is about survival. The health hazards are escalating so fast that they will impact the survival of people alive today. * The evidence shows the situation is worsening year after year. The Lancet Countdown tracks 20 indicators of the health hazards of climate change. In the latest report, 12 of 20 broke records. * The real killer is the breakdown of our systems. Heat, floods and fires do not just cause illness - they destabilise food supplies and economies. Without a functioning economy and food security, you cannot run a health service. * We are already haemorrhaging economic capacity. Extreme weather is causing financial losses at astonishing speed, and major economic loss means no NHS, no education system and no resilience. * Taking action on climate change is the biggest health opportunity of our lifetime. Policies on clean air, active travel, warm homes and plant-rich diets will cut emissions and disease together, making the NHS more sustainable. * The potential savings are huge. Tackling obesity alone could save the UK around £126 billion every year. * Without action, the hazards are catastrophic. The climate emergency is a health emergency, and we must treat it as one. National Security Lt General Richard Nugee CB CVO CBE * Climate change is now a core national security threat. Defence institutions in the UK, NATO and beyond recognise climate as a threat multiplier - worsening existing risks and creating entirely new ones. * The threat picture is shifting faster than expected. Climate shocks are driving instability, resource competition, displacement and conflict — from food and water stress to new geopolitical flashpoints like the Arctic. * Climate fuels global instability that directly affects UK security. When livelihoods collapse, recruitment to non-state armed groups rises. When food and water are scarce, tensions escalate between states. * Instability abroad translates into instability at home. Food price shocks, supply chain disruption, flooding, fires, heatwaves and uninsurable homes all increase pressure on public trust and governance. * The military is already being pulled into domestic climate emergencies. RAF deployments to prevent dam collapse and respond to floods are a preview of the future if emissions cuts and adaptation fall behind. * The greatest risk is cascading crises. Multiple shocks hitting simultaneously — food, health, infrastructure, migration, energy and extreme weather — risk overwhelming government systems and eroding democratic stability. * Unchecked climate impacts risk the UK becoming an ungovernable state. They could cause not just a change of government, but the potential failure of democratic systems to cope under sustained stress. * Climate action strengthens national security. Energy independence through renewables, energy storage and a decentralised grid based on renewables makes the UK more resilient and less vulnerable to hostile actors. It provides a safer, more stable society, including a stronger democracy. * This is not a future problem or a trade-off. Addressing climate change is central to national security today, not something to postpone. Economics Angela Francis * Economic transitions are disruptive but standing still is far more dangerous. Every industrial transition creates winners and losers; clinging to the status quo delays change and increases risk. * Today’s markets are broken. They assume a stable climate, clean air, fresh water and functioning ecosystems - while rewarding businesses that damage them and penalising those investing in resilience. * This is a textbook market failure, and it is government’s job to fix it. New rules must consistently reward lower carbon, restored soils, standing forests, circular resource use and reduced waste. * Vested interests are slowing the transition. Profitable fossil fuel and extractive sectors lobby to protect the old system, just as the tobacco industry once did - even though they could diversify. * The economics are clear: action is cheaper than inaction. The cost of inaction massively outweighs the cost of action, even on cautious estimates. * Net zero is affordable, and it pays back. The UK investment needed is around 0.2% of GDP per year, and would be largely funded by the private sector, with clear long-term returns. * Faster transition is cheaper. Research shows a rapid energy transition saves $12 trillion globally compared to sticking with fossil fuels: more than twice the savings of a slow transition. * Climate action cuts the cost of living. Inflation would have been significantly lower if we had decarbonised power, heat and food systems earlier; delay has already made households poorer. * The best way to get other countries to act is for the UK to lead by example. Acting early accelerates innovation, lowers costs worldwide and increases the UK’s chance of being a high-value producer in future industries. * The test of success is simple. Policies can and must make households better off, reduce risk and build resilient businesses. The jobs then follow. Energy Transition Tessa Khan * Fossil fuels are the root cause of energy price shocks. Around half of UK recessions since 1970 have been triggered by fossil fuel price volatility - most recently forcing the Government to spend £64 billion, more than the defence budget. * Millions of people are already in energy distress. Over 12 million UK households are struggling to pay their energy bills - a direct consequence of our dependence on gas. * Renewables offer permanent price stability. Sun and wind are free forever, unlike fossil fuels whose prices are set by geopolitics, cartels and conflict. * Clean energy is now dramatically cheaper than before. In the last decade, offshore wind costs have fallen by over 50%, solar by over 70%, and battery storage by over 80%. * Electrification is far more efficient than using fossil fuels. The fossil fuel system wastes around two-thirds of the energy it consumes; clean electricity avoids this loss entirely. * Upfront costs are a political choice, not a barrier. Upgrading the grid and using heat pumps and insulation are merely growing pains - and delay only increases total costs. * Insulating homes is one of the fastest ways to cut bills. Yet the UK still has some of the coldest, most heat-leaking housing stock in Europe. * The jobs transition in energy is already happening. North Sea oil and gas employment has halved, even with new licences. * The UK has successfully upgraded its energy system before. It did so in a decade, changing its infrastructure to use North Sea gas instead of gas from coal. * The prize from electrification is enormous. A renewable, electrified system delivers lower bills, energy security, good jobs and a just transition for households and workers alike. LOCAL ACTION: Retrofitting. community energy --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://wiki.greatcollaboration.uk/knowledgebase/most-frequently-sought-topics/generally-useful-websites/some-actions-in-response-to-the-national-emergency-briefing-and-film.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.