Royal Meteorological Society (RMetS) joined hundreds of policymakers, community leaders, business representatives and journalists inside Central Hall Westminster, the symbolic birthplace of the United Nations, for what felt like one of the most urgent and unflinching gatherings in recent years. The National Emergency Briefing on Climate and Nature was billed as a ‘clear-eyed assessment’ of the existential risks facing the UK. In reality, it was far more than that. It was a wake-up call, a unifying moment, and a reminder that the window for meaningful action is narrowing but not yet closed.

RMetS was a key supporter of this national effort aligning with our longstanding commitment to public understanding of weather, climate, and the underpinning science.

The event was just the start of what hopes to be a growing public awareness campaign that aims to reset the national conversation in the UK, bypassing misinformation, and informing communities, as well as ensuring MPs are fully informed and accountable on the crucial decision ahead.

MPs, Peers and journalists were urged to attend the event and attendees where encouraged to support a letter to the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, and broadcasters, calling on the Government and all public service broadcasters to hold an urgent televised national emergency briefing for the public, and to run a comprehensive public engagement campaign so that everyone understands the profound risks this crisis poses.

A Stark Opening: The Scale of the Threat

It was fitting that the event took place in the historical and symbolic Central Hall Westminster, which hosted the inaugural meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on 10 January 1946. More than 1,000 senior civil servants, and industrial and civic leaders attended the event with long queues around the outside of the  iconic building shortly before the event was due to start. The event was billed as the “first-of-its-kind national emergency briefing”.

The briefing began with an opening statement from Chris Packham CBE, a well-known TV presenter and naturalist, Chris Packham. Holding up a mobile phone with a picture of the earth on it he announced, “For those at the back, this is a picture of a small blue dot. For us, and all the other creatures on the earth, this is our home, and it is the only home we have. As far as we know, it is the only home to life in the universe and we are failing to look after it.”

This was followed by a series of presentations from leading scientists and experts providing an authoritative assessment of the climate and nature crisis already being felt here in the UK and around the world. Each speaker warned of the environmental breakdown steering us toward socio-economic destabilisation. Despite the stark message, each speaker spoke of hope and actions that can be taken to shift the country into emergency mode.  

Panel of Plain-Speaking Experts

• Chaired by Prof Mike Berners-Lee, the following leading scientists provided clear, direct messages grounded in evidence and delivered with a shared sense of purpose.
• Prof Kevin Anderson cut through political euphemisms on emissions and energy, laying out what a science-aligned trajectory actually requires.
• Prof Nathalie Seddon explored the deep interconnections between climate and nature, clearly showing how biodiversity loss accelerates climate risks.
• Prof Tim Lenton explained tipping points, those irreversible thresholds we edge closer to with every year of delay.
• Prof Hayley Fowler, RMetS Trustee and Chair of the RMetS Science Engagement Committee, spoke powerfully on extreme events and adaptation realities for UK communities.
• Prof Hugh Montgomery OBE highlighted the rapidly escalating health impacts of climate breakdown, from heat stress to air quality.
• Angela Francis reframed the economics of climate action as a once-in-a-generation opportunity for resilience.
• Prof Paul Behrens unpacked the vulnerabilities of global and domestic food systems.
• Lt General Richard Nugee CB, CVO, CBE stressed national security implications, reminding us that climate impacts are threat multipliers already reshaping geopolitical stability.
• Tessa Khan spoke about the urgent need for government accountability and science-led action, emphasising that the UK must adopt policies aligned with climate safety rather than fossil fuel expansion.

What stood out most was the shared tone: frank, non-partisan, and rooted in public service.

Not a Science Lecture but a Story About People

The organisers made a deliberate choice to avoid dense scientific presentations. Instead, the event unfolded as a cohesive narrative of one centred on what this crisis means for ordinary people. The speakers painted a picture of a country unprepared, but not incapable.

Aiming for a Social Tipping Point

There is a broader strategy than just this one event. The briefing is only the beginning.

A professionally filmed version of the event will anchor a nationwide campaign. A short, accessible film will be screened in communities across the UK, with local groups encouraged to invite their MPs, councillors and neighbours.

There was also a call to action for people to sign an open letter to Keir Starmer as well as broadcasters, calling on the Government and all public service broadcasters to support a public awareness campaign aiming to transform this briefing into a movement. The organisers hope this will help trigger a social tipping point, making climate and nature risks an unavoidable national priority.

Walking Out of Westminster

As delegates left the event they shared sense that something significant had happened. The tone wasn’t defeatist, it was resolute. We have the science. We have the experts. We have the public support. What we need now is the political and cultural permission to treat this emergency as exactly that: an emergency.

Prof Hayley Fowler, RMetS Trustee and Chair of the RMetS Science Engagement Committee, said:

“The National Emergency Briefing was a crucially needed event. I am alarmed by the growing climate and nature crises and quite angry that our leaders choose to mostly ignore them. We might collectively wish it wasn’t happening, but it is and we need to deal with it. It’s critical that we take action now with great urgency. Delaying action will expose us to greater risks.”

“In my talk I reminded the audience of MPs, celebrities and other influential people, that the UK is already facing severe weather impacts driven by our continued reliance on fossil fuels and that climate models are underestimating these changing hazards. The energy in the room was palpable. The alignment among the messages of the scientists was grounding given we had not shared our presentations in advance, and many of us had not met each other before. As a moment where fossil fuels were taken out of the COP30 final decision text, it is vital that politicians and the public understand the science: the risks are accelerating, and delaying action will put more lives at risk.”

“That’s why I was honoured to stand alongside nine other leading experts and Chris Packham yesterday at the National Emergency Briefing to give an honest appraisal of the scientific understanding and the threats to our national security from these twin crises. We urgently need our politicians to take these escalating weather events seriously. The UK must urgently transition away from fossil fuels and invest in resilience now, not decades from now.”

“We would urgently like everyone to sign our letter addressed to Keir Starmer and the UK’s media leadership which calls for a televised Emergency Briefing, so that many millions more can learn the truth. Misinformation is the greatest impediment to action. The public needs access to truthful information from credible sources.”