Last week saw around 40 people gather at Salisbury Gardens, Ventnor, for a public screening of The People’s Emergency Briefing and a discussion on the local climate and nature crisis.
In November 2025, the National Emergency Briefing brought together leading experts to present the latest evidence on the climate and nature crisis to politicians and other influential people in Westminster.
The film from The National Emergency Briefing sets out the risks facing the nation and the credible, positive responses available, and is used nationwide to prompt local conversations about the issues raised.
The screening formed part of a wider UK programme of events designed to help communities engage with the climate and nature crisis, and supported by naturalist Chris Packham, who said:
”I’d encourage people everywhere to attend a screening of The People’s Emergency Briefing.
This new film creates exactly the kind of honest local conversation we now urgently need, both about the threat from climate and nature breakdown, but also about what we can do, together with our politicians, to build a better future.”
There was a broad mix of people from across the community who attended the screening, including several councillors, Ventnor Cllr Brayden Gibbins, Gosdhill Cllr Leigh Jackman, Chillerton and Gatcombe Cllr Julia Laursen, and Sandown Cllr Ian Boyd.
The discussions afterwards focused particularly on local issues; the strongest theme discussed was sharing information about what different communities are currently doing already and what more could be done as well as the need for a Climate Hub on the Island so that local parishes could network and share ideas.
The Island’s local biodiversity and food resilience were highlighted, along with ideas how the film’s information could be delivered in an age-appropriate way to children and young people. Participants also explored how local communities can continue the conversation and engage elected representatives.
Organisers say there was strong interest in continued local engagement, including discussion of how community support might be built around encouraging the Island’s MPs’ Joe Robertson and Richard Quigley to back the Parliamentary Call for a televised emergency briefing on the climate and nature crisis.
What stood out was how quickly the discussion moved from concern into practical questions about what people here may be able to do together next.
The next screenings of The People’s Emergency Briefing will be held here:
Naturezones, Blackwater 05.09.2026 – 14:00
At the Isle of Wight Biosphere festival:
Newport and Carisbrook Community Council 29.06.2026 – 19:00
Gurnard Village Hall, 28.06.2026 – 15:00
Freshwater Library 02.07.2026 – 19:00
What a farce, if the couentry was really worried about the climate
they would not have taken away benefits for EV owners!
They are encouraging motorists to stick to petrol and diesel
vehicles and EV motorists to switch back.
“around 40 people gather at Salisbury Gardens, Ventnor, for a public screening of The People’s Emergency Briefing” – in reality it was more like 29 people, most of whom were over 60.
Allegedly, the screening formed part of a wider UK programme of events designed to help communities engage with the climate and nature crisis, and supported by naturalist Chris Packham, who said:
”I’d encourage people everywhere to attend a screening of The People’s Emergency Briefing.” His encouragement obviously fell on deaf ears in Ventnor and the Island in general.
At the RTS awards in April 2024, Packham said that he “hopes for more improvement to be made in public spaces, like autistic friendly screenings in cinemas and an autism hour in supermarkets where they don’t have all the lights on, and turn the bloody music off”
Packham is autistic and about one in 100 people in the UK are on the autism spectrum.
So, yet again we hear of someone who represents a very small minority trying to impose his views, instead of trying to adjust his behaviour to align with those of the majority.