New climate change film makes viewers ‘motivated to act’
Can you be fully engaged with the climate crisis without succumbing to doom and gloom? Two LBS professors recommend a 50-minute film and engaging books to help.
In 30 seconds
The People’s Emergency Briefing translates evidence into a clear, accessible account without diluting the seriousness of climate change.
Nine out of 10 people felt motivated to act after watching the film.
There is a middle ground between those dismissing climate claims as exaggerated and those who believe catastrophe is inevitable.
Of all the polarising issues of our time, climate change is surely one of the most intense and it can be hard to remain fully aware of what’s happening without the feeling of helplessness and impotence. In fact, one could be forgiven for sometimes wanting to just close your eyes and hope it all goes away.
The National Emergency Briefing is a UK-focused public information initiative that brings together leading experts to explain what climate and nature breakdown means for our lives, economy and collective security.
Its organisers, brothers Nick and Simon Oldridge, want people to have the plain facts about what’s happening so they can make informed decisions about how to respond.
The film, The People’s Emergency Briefing, translates the evidence into a clear, accessible account without diluting the seriousness of the science. It presents the risks frankly, while also showing that credible and positive responses are available. Audiences are finding it galvanising, not gloomy.
According to a report in the Guardian, “nine out of 10 people surveyed after watching [the film] felt more motivated to act” while:
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“89% of people said the government should respond to the crisis with emergency-level mobilisation.”
What’s especially powerful is the communication model, says Ioannis Ioannou, Associate Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at LBS.
The film’s Gogglebox-like format makes it a lively watch, but it goes further than that. It was specifically designed to be screened in communities and workplaces, followed by a structured discussion. This turns it into a starting point for informed conversation and collective action.
“Citizens and decision makers are invited to engage with the same evidence, in the same room, and then discuss what an appropriate response should look like,” says Ioannou. “At a time when disinformation and political polarisation are weakening climate action, that approach feels both deeply democratic and urgently needed.”
Although the initiative speaks directly to the UK public and policy context, its implications extend far beyond the UK. The film has been screened more than 3,000 times in the UK and the idea is being picked up by other countries in Europe, including Germany.
Climate and nature breakdown do not respect national borders, and the issues explored in the briefing affect every society. “The wider lesson is global,” states Ioannou. “Meaningful collective action requires a shared understanding of the evidence and an honest public conversation about what lies ahead.”
Books that offer hope
In similar vein, Jonathan Berman, Associate Professor of Marketing at LBS and a behavioural science expert, recommends two books by the Scottish data scientist and writer Hannah Ritchie. Between those dismissing climate claims as exaggerated and those who believe catastrophe is inevitable, Ritchie offers a more grounded and hopeful perspective.
“Drawing on data, Ritchie separates fact from fiction, explains where technology and policy can make a real difference, and shows where our intuitions can mislead us,” Berman explains.
“Her work puts today’s environmental challenges into perspective without minimising their urgency – and makes a persuasive case that meaningful progress is within reach.”
Ritchie’s book Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet directly addresses, “The intense feeling of anxiety and dread about what the planet has in store for us.”
In fact, she suggests, there are already some reasons to be cheerful. Carbon emissions per capita are actually down. Deforestation peaked in the 1980s. The air we breathe now is vastly improved from centuries ago.
Ritchie outlines which lifestyle changes work and which don’t, and the solutions we urgently need to focus on in order to leave a sustainable planet for future generations – instead of terrifying them and then wondering why their mental health is in poor shape.
By the same author, Clearing the Air: A Hopeful Guide to Solving Climate Change in 50 Questions and Answers is a practical companion for the countless moments when someone looks doubtful and/or worried and asks a burning question such as: ‘Isn’t it too late?’, ‘Don’t poorer countries need fossil fuels to develop?’, and ‘Aren’t renewables too expensive?’.
