We interviewed organiser Simon Oldridge ahead of this crucial event on 27 November, and now we want to share Simon’s post giving us some more insights into the scale of the operation and the help he was given to pull it off. We’ve had to unlink the many names, but you can google them easily enough. Of course, this briefing was only the start of a focused and determined campaign to get government to finally grasp the urgency of the challenge facing us and to put climate action front and centre. As Simon hoped, attendees went away thinking less ‘Oh, sh*t!’ and more ‘Yay! Let’s do it!’
More details on how you can help can be found at the end of this piece. Over to Simon:
“Back in January, frustrated by the gulf between scientific warnings and political incrementalism, I kept coming back to one question:
Where is the Covid-style national emergency briefing on climate and nature?
The public deserve clear, trusted information – not the vacuum in which disinformation thrives. So I began sounding out the scientists I most respected. Every one said yes!
It was also the perfect moment to team up again with my brilliant brother Nick Oldridge. I couldn’t have done this without him.
We asked Prof Mike Berners-Lee to chair, the perfect choice with his overview across the polycrisis. I’m so pleased he agreed and helped shape the event.
Throughout the early months I bounced ideas off many great people like James Whitehead, Amy McDonnell, Neal Lawson etc – whose advice strengthened the concept at every turn.
Nick’s creative partners, Ben Carey and Henrik Delehag, shaped the “official-style briefing” identity and guided the creative elements, with Mark Healey creating the website. Thanks all! I’m also grateful for the expert support from Abi Perrin, Sandy Trust, Alison Green, Laurie Laybourn and others.
Nick and I reached out to NGOs, professional bodies, faith groups and others for support. Almost nobody said no. The appetite for a non-partisan, evidence-based national briefing was enormous.
As momentum built, so pleased I had Megan Jenkins to help – she’ll be a huge asset to whoever snaps her up. Thanks also to Patrick O’Donnell & all at Higginson Strategy – and to the legendary Frankie Oliver who joined the team taking our comms up to another level entirely.
The event surpassed expectations. Enormous gratitude to Chris Packham, one of my heroes, whose superb media work lifted this far beyond what we could have achieved alone.
And wow – our experts utterly nailed it. So powerful. I just couldn’t have asked for more. Thanks SO much to: Nathalie Seddon, Kevin Anderson, Hayley Fowler, Tim Lenton, Paul Behrens, Hugh M., Richard Nugee CB CVO CBE, Angela Francis, Tessa Khan – many of them helping shape the thinking along the way.
The event was invite-only, with the aim of bringing together a cross-section of influential voices from across British society – who help spread the word widely. Thank you to everyone who helped make that possible.
This has always been a two-phase project:
1) The briefing itself.
2) A nationwide film, launching next spring, to bring communities together with their MPs around trusted, non-partisan evidence – relying on face-to-face contact to build unstoppable support for the genuine emergency action which will make us better off!
Thanks also to Olivia Williams for her powerful reading of the open letter to Keir Starmer and the heads of the public broadcasters – please sign – see https://lnkd.in/eNtU8ZVU.
The talks are now available on YouTube. Please subscribe to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@nebriefing. Please encourage friends and family to subscribe, too.
Thanks so much for all your support. This is only the beginning.”
We strongly recommend watching this summary, too, perhaps before you watch the full speeches:
