York People’s Emergency Briefing

Last Saturday over 200 York residents came together to watch the People’s Emergency Briefing on climate & nature. 

In the historic location in Museum Gardens, this was an event dedicated to grappling with our current realities and focussed on the response that’s needed to make the best possible version of our future a reality. 

After a rich discussion, we asked each of our panellists for a short reflection on the film and what happens next:

Sarah West of SEI York, who chaired the panel, said:

“The panel gave us things we could actually do, and I really loved what Rachael said about how to lobby your MP effectively – you have check up on them. But for me, the most important thing is to get people talking about this. I want them to talk about this at the dinner table, and instead of saying “oh, it’s really hot,” I want them to make the next step and think about what that means. And I would like to see a shift in the language we use. ‘Net zero’ is not a friendly concept. Let’s talk about reducing energy bills, and bring it home for people.”

Rachael Maskell, MP for York Central, commented:

“When we watch the film, the first emotion is fear, because the climate crisis is getting worse. We’re seeing that in so many different ways, including in the cost of living, particularly for people in poverty in our city. I feel a heavy duty to ensure government is doing everything it can, and I think there’s far more than can be done. Often in Westminster we see a tweaking of different policies as opposed to grasping these big issues and pointing the whole of society towards it. When it comes to the climate emergency, we can’t afford not to do that, and that’s what I’m going back to Westminster to say.”

Jan Selby, Professor of International Politics and Climate Change, University of Leeds, said:

 “It’s a really hard-hitting film – really effective and thought-provoking. However, the main invitation to lobby your MP doesn’t fit with the emergency narrative. We need to think more imaginatively, and also vote for people who’ll make the right decisions. There’s an emergency, but we do have the technologies to address it, and the economics aren’t nearly as hard as sometimes claimed.”

Rosie Toothill of Parents for Future, said:

“The People’s Emergency Briefing is difficult to watch, and especially as a mother to two young boys, it can be really scary. But we have all those amazing scientists working on this and who are giving us solutions that we can use now.”

Richard Bramley, arable farmer and Regional NFU Environmental Lead, said:

“At the end of the day, if we want farms to deliver all the benefits they can in landscape management and resilience to extremes, it takes investment – and investment requires understanding. We’ve got a great farmer community out there. And food security is national security. If you can’t feed your population, you’re in big trouble. What we need now is to bring all of those messages together so they mean something. It’s not happening yet, but we’re getting there.”

I’ve plenty of my own reflections, but with many more local screenings and events on the the horizon, not loads of time to put them into words! But my main hope in getting this flagship York screening off the ground was that it would re-energise local action, and connect more people to the communities working together to make our city greener, fairer, safer and more resilient. 

Event photos by Sophia Cheng. This event was coordinated by Abi on behalf of YorkCliConnect with the support of Cllr Kent of City of York Council as well as team of volunteers including Laura, Kate, John, Lindsey, Jennifer, Rowena & Christine. With huge thanks to our panellists and to the York Museums Trust for providing the venue

See also, writeups by Brian McHugh & Sarah Hartley for the Northern Eco