National Emergency Briefing: Chair

National Emergency Briefing – Mike Berners-Lee’s introduction

Mike Berners- Lee’s introductory message revolved around James Baldwin’s ever relevant comment, ‘Nothing can be changed until it is faced.’ The point of the National Emergency Briefing is to bring to attention the serious and urgent crises of climate and nature.

The aim is not to engender depression or despair, but to focus the national conversation on this polycrisis, at a point in time when action is not (yet) hopeless, in spite of growing misinformation, the failure of 30 CoPs to even reduce the rate of emissions, and the success of 1600 fossil fuel lobbyists in getting all mention of fossil fuels removed from the final text of the most recent CoP. 

This affects us all, hence the Briefing is ‘National’, and serious – ‘Emergency’.

Berners-Lee praised those who were there for their courage and leadership in being at the Briefing (especially those MPs who had made it their priority) and reminded all invitees that they were present because they had influence, and this influence could be wielded to produce a societal tipping point towards action.

The Briefing starts with where we are now: the nature crisis, the climate crisis, extreme weather and tipping points; then goes on to look at societal impacts not really recognised in the UK (food, health and national security) and the implications for the economy and a just energy transition.

World experts in each field present up to date evidence, and, importantly, join the dots between their fields – this is a systemic problem, with systemic challenges and perhaps opportunities.