Britain faces a national climate emergency that threatens its economy, public health, food security, and national defence, according to a stark warning from eminent scientists delivered at an unprecedented briefing in Westminster.
National Emergency Declared
More than 1,000 corporate leaders, senior civil servants, and community figures gathered at the Methodist Central Hall in Westminster for what organisers described as a first-of-its-kind national emergency briefing. The event aimed to reset the national conversation amid growing climate misinformation.
Professor Mike Berners-Lee, a leading climate writer and carbon footprinting expert, introduced the talks, emphasising the urgent need for accurate public understanding of the escalating crisis.
Stark Scientific Warnings
Nine expert speakers delivered sobering assessments of the changes required to adapt Britain to rapidly changing climate conditions and potentially prevent worst-case scenarios.
Professor Kevin Anderson from the Universities of Manchester, Uppsala, and Bergen presented a stark choice: "The choice is between deep, rapid and fair decarbonisation of modern society, and an organised-ish technical and social revolution; or ongoing rhetoric and delay as temperatures [rise]. And then we'll have a revolutionary style change that will be both chaotic and violent."
On ecological breakdown, Professor Nathalie Seddon of Oxford University stated: "We are facing a national emergency not only because the climate is changing, but because the living systems that protect the climate are breaking down." She emphasised that environmental protection and economic prosperity are inseparable.
Catastrophic Climate Scenarios
Perhaps the most dramatic warning came from Professor Tim Lenton of Exeter University's Global Systems Institute, who detailed the potential consequences of Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) collapse.
London could experience winter temperatures plunging to -20°C, while simultaneously suffering hotter summers than today's. This paradoxical climate shift would devastate UK agriculture, forcing the nation to become 100% reliant on food imports.
Professor Lenton stressed the critical importance of limiting global heating: "We have got to do everything in our power to limit the amount of time we spend above 1.5C [above preindustrial temperatures]."
Broader Societal Impacts
Prominent actor Mark Rylance attended the briefing and highlighted the connection between inequality and climate crisis, describing the cost of living crisis as fundamentally an inequality issue. He called on wealthy individuals, including himself, to address their "collective addiction" to high-consumption lifestyles and accused billionaires of funding climate denial misinformation.
Retired General Richard Nugee delivered a security-focused warning, stating that politicians focused on conventional threats like Russia are missing the greater danger of climate change. He described climate change as "an insidious threat" that could cause more damage than current security priorities.
General Nugee expressed concern about national resilience, stating: "Having spent most of my life fighting, I need to believe this country to be strong. The last thing I want to see is this country go to war. But we are not providing a sufficient deterrent, because we are not resilient enough [to the impacts of the climate crisis]."
The comprehensive briefing represents the most concerted effort yet to alert Britain's decision-makers to the existential threats posed by climate breakdown and ecological collapse.
