Nearly 80 people attended a community screening in Ventnor highlighting the climate and nature crisis, sparking debate, concern and calls for urgent national action.
The first Isle of Wight screening of the People’s Emergency Briefing took place last Friday at St Catherine’s C of E Church in Ventnor.
The documentary – adapted from the National Emergency Briefing held at Westminster in November – outlines the scale of the climate and nature crisis, alongside potential solutions. The original event saw 10 leading UK scientists and experts address more than 1,200 politicians and influential figures on impacts to security, food, health and the economy.
Around 80 Islanders attended the Ventnor screening, with local councillors Ed Blake, Susan Betts and Sophus Magill present, alongside political candidate Alice Walker.
The evening began with informal discussions before the film was shown, followed by a break and a wider group conversation reflecting on its themes.
Attendees described a range of emotional responses, including anger, sadness and anxiety. Criticism was directed at politicians for perceived inaction, as well as at fossil fuel companies accused of long-standing awareness of their environmental impact.
Some participants said the effects of the crisis are already being felt locally, citing flooding, landslips and rising costs linked to global instability. One attendee referenced reports of someone kayaking through floodwater in Whitwell earlier this year.
Others pointed to structural challenges, including limited local authority funding and the need for stronger national leadership. There was also discussion around lifestyle changes, including increased use of public transport and reduced reliance on cars.
Concerns were raised about political short-termism, with some suggesting this was a barrier to meaningful progress. The concept of environmental “tipping points” also prompted alarm among attendees.
Despite concerns, some described the film as hopeful, highlighting that solutions already exist if action is taken. Others said it helped clarify both the scale of the issue and what needs to be done.
Discussion later turned to practical action, including community-led initiatives and historical parallels such as wartime self-sufficiency through growing food locally.
A key aim of the National Emergency Briefing is to encourage people to write to their MPs calling for a government-backed televised emergency briefing, designed to inform the wider public and stimulate national debate.
There was support among attendees for such a broadcast, alongside calls for coordinated efforts to counter misinformation and drive engagement.
Locally, interest was expressed in forming environmental groups and strengthening existing networks. Several attendees are due to meet at The Exchange in Ventnor at 19:00 on Friday 17th April to continue discussions.
A second screening is set to take place at the Bembridge Environment event on Saturday 18th April, which will be attended by Isle of Wight MP Joe Robertson. The event is free but ticketed.
The film is also available for community groups to host their own screenings, with more than 2,200 groups nationwide already committed to doing so.
Organisers extended thanks to St Catherine’s C of E Church for hosting the Island’s first screening and providing a welcoming space for discussion.
Obviously 80 brainwashed idiots attended the event.
There is no climate crises, David Bellamy called it out as bull years ago and was cancelled straight away, never to been seen on tv again.
That was over 20 years ago, and long before things like the polar ice caps dropped off into the sea. What he didn’t (and couldn’t) say was the rate at which it would speed up in the next 20 years, man made OR natural phenomenon. But…given that during the covid years things like pollution ground to a halt and the eco system started to recover you don’t need David Bellamy to tell you just how much impact today’s society has on the environment all our futures depend on.
Its very convenient how the agenda is pushed by bought scientists, any scientist with a different opinion is silenced a bit like covid, anyone who questioned the narrative was seen as a covid denier.
Such events are pointless, the island is full of dirty diesel
and petrol vehicles and nothing is being done to combat
such vehicles.
There is no ULEZ charges to deter dirty vehicles and there
are no extra parking fees for diesel vehicles
SUCH CHARGES ARE IN PLACE ON THE MAINLAND TO
HELP THE CLIMATE CAUSE!, WHAT IS THE ISLAND DOING
TO HELP!
Do keep up dear…the UK is phasing out purely diesel vehicles with a ban on new sales, and will be emissions free completely by 2035. Second hand ones can still be bought and sold, but as more people opt for electric, the sales of diesel will go down, therefore the price of diesel will go up.
Things are being done to combat it; the island will be almost entirely electric buses by the end of 2027. That’s a lot of diesel off the roads.
No always be diesel and petrol cars for sale..
Not if the country wants to reach NET ZERO
Net zero will never be achieved, if it is achieved it will bankrupt the country, put us back in the dark ages, also it won’t make one bit of difference worldwide as we only emit 1% of global emissions.
I know dear but old diesels will still be polluting the island
SO WHAT WILL CHANGE! – NOTHING!!
Measures need to be put in place to get the dirty vehicles
off the road.
Some parts of the country have clean air zones and charge
increased parking charges
THE ISLAND HAVE DONE FCUK ALL TO COMBAT POLLUTING
VEHICLES
Sorry to acid rain on your parade and permit facts into your rant,, ULEZ , conceived as a moneygenerating exercise and by independent research makes little or no difference to air quality.Iin areas bordered by such zones the air quality is noticably poorer as people seek to drive around tax zones. If you wish to remove diesel vehicles on the island, start with public transport, the emergency services and the council and all the farm vehicles, surely they should be setting an example by not using diesel vehicles.
Rossi46 Is absolutely right and I would ask this question of the brainwashed:- ‘How do they explain that everyone with similar views as hero David Bellamy is never permitted to give similar views as he on t.v.?
Ask yourself that question and come up with a sane answer, if you can.
As a matter of historic record, the Great Southwell Landslip of 1734 at Portland in Dorset coincided with what was then known as The Little Ice Age with the climate much cooler and wetter and is the 2nd largest recorded landslip in the UK.
Going even further back, 300 million years ago, what is now known as Alport Castles in The Peak District, was part of a river delta and is the largest landslip in the UK.
The causes of these landslips are still debated, but at NO time has it ever been suggested that “man made climate change”, or diesel powered vehicles, which did not exist, are the causes.
The Leeson Road landslip is recorded as being part of the largest landslip in Western Europe, such erosion being quite normal in coastal areas.
Incidentally, I do object to you and Rossi46 calling climate activists “brainwashed”, as that implies they HAVE a brain to begin with!
Sooo regardless of your beliefs or religious thoughts our planet evolved as a biosphere to support the life living on it ,it didn’t evolve to deal with greedy men digging out fossil fuel,pump toxins into our water be it sea or rivers!cars and pollution especially in the 3rd world Countries trying to play catch up with the so called modern world,Nature will not adapt to that and will say “sod off human parasites”!we need clean oxygen for all brains to think(although ….Trump is clearly lacking)clean water to drink and now Glyphosate in being found in Honey the only chemical the human body cannot expel and triggers MND/MS Parkinson’s if you carry the gene you have a 60% chance of it triggering it look up a Monsanto and the amount of claims made against them before they sold out to that German Company!surely even your brain can see the planet wasn’t made to cope with us,????just saying
Because they are not based on credible evidence. Opinion isn’t fact.
More climate bollocks..
Because over 99% of peer reviewed climate scientists are obviously wrong. Why didn’t they all just ask you? Or David Bellamy, a botanist!
Everywhere I go on the island.
Green Party boards are everywhere, people are getting with the
agenda.
I do not believe you are that deluded as to fall for this green clap trap, look at their policies which they are despeerately trying to hide because they know it will not get them elected, in cornwall a recent election in newquay the green candidate is a member of extinction rebellion who believes in direct action even though it means braking the law. I suspect extinction has quietly taken over the green party as a means of furthering their aims
I find it very odd that Blake, a Member of the Conservative Party, should be hanging out with 3 Green candidates.
Shows which way his head is being turned after fighting against the “green” underwater turbine proposals at St. Catherine’s Deep because it would hurt his crabbing and lobster harvesting business.
Sounds fishy to me, obviously caught in the wrong
Plaice
Lol