Introduction
The film was based on the National Emergency Briefing for MPs, members of the House of Lords and others which was held in Westminster in November 2025. The briefing consisted of 10 presentations mostly from leading UK climate scientists and focused on the increasing risks to all of us from extreme weather events. The overall conclusion of the film was that our only hope for the future is that we treat the situation as an emergency so we can plan a better chance of survival.
Disappointingly only about 15% of MPs attended the NEB event so the organisers decided to commission a film. They hope that, through lots of screenings, pressure would mount on MPs to see the film and raise its issues within Parliament and with the government.The film was released for public viewing on the 7th April. We felt it was important to show the film as soon as possible and for this to trigger other screenings in the area. We received 120 reservations for the event through the Ticket Tailor website and an estimated audience of around 100 people on the night.
A key aim of all the screenings across the country is to get MPs and the government to show the film on prime time television and to recognise the emergency that we are all facing and to plan accordingly. As a result, it was important to get feedback from the audience about the film and also to stimulate discussion on how to bring the film to a wider audience. The aim was to share ideas and to set some priorities for achieving this.
Feedback from the audience and post-meeting response by ChiCAN
Groups of about 6 to 8 people were asked to discuss their reactions to the film, how we could bring the film to a wider audience and how we could lobby MPs and the government to create a greater sense of urgency. Each group was provided with a large sheet of paper and asked to write their comments and ideas. These together with recollections of what was said during the feedback session, individual actions as well as what ChiCAN and Transition Chichester are doing are summarised below:-
- Venues – ideas
• Secondary Schools, Residents Associations, Parish Councils, Workplaces, Cinemas, Public Screenings (similar to 2012 during the Olympics), Cathedral, Chichester Festival Theatre, Sports Clubs, University and Colleges, Village Halls, hairdressers ?? hotels
• Home viewings inviting family and friends seemed popular - Lobbying MPs
• The information provided at the event was considered important and many of those attending seemed motivated to write to their MP.
• ChiCAN will facilitate the process by providing information on the Transition Chichester website and by writing to all those who reserved a ticket to let them know about the action we are taking and asking them to write to their MP if they haven’t already done so. - Targetting other Organisations
• Direct contact to BBC, National Trust, Chichester University, Chichester College, Chichester Theatre, New Park Cinema (Green Week)
• ChiCAN to write to these bodies. - Version of the Film for Young People
• Some felt it was important for young people to be introduced to some of the risks ahead possibly using high profile personalities that they could more easily relate to. Future generations will inevitably be more impacted by climate change than elderly people so it could be worth providing a version for them.
• ChiCAN will contact NEB to ask them about this - Organise a petition
• There seems to be an on-line petition for most issues these days. Surely this is a very worthwhile cause to go for… how should it be worded?
• ChiCAN to contact NEB about this, to monitor the progress of such a petition and also to discuss which platforms it could be on. - Using Art to raise awareness
• Could we ask artists to prepare exhibitions on the issue of the climate emergency – Pallant Gallery, the Oxmarket and other venues like the gallery on North Street.
• ChiCAN to contact the Pallant Gallery to ask them about the possibility of a themed event on surviving a changing climate. - Targets
• Why not set a target for a high percentage of MPs to have watched the film by the time the party conferences start in October?
• ChiCAN will discuss with NEB and see whether they will adopt a suitable target for viewings.
Progress in responding to the audience’s ideas
ChiCAN now have an action programme spreadsheet and hope to consider the responses in their next 2 monthly meetings. We will publish a summary of the responses on our website.
In addition we have 2 other priorities linked to some of the issues raised in the film
- Emergency Planning – this picks up on the presentation to our group given by Ian Guppy (West Sussex County Council Emergency and Resilience officer). We would like to focus on how parish councils can cheaply produce emergency plans which include acknowledgement of extreme weather events made more likely by climate change.
- Connecting with other climate action and environmental groups through the CAN-Do network and supporting a Food Security event, planned by other groups to be held in Chichester in the Autumn.
- In addition to the above we will try to publish articles in the local press and promote discussion on local radio. Also Talking News and Hospital Radio.
CRM 02/05/2026
And What Next?