Last Tuesday evening etheco founder and CEO, Jason Hollingworth, attended a screening of the National Emergency Briefing film at the University of Kent – and he left feeling shaken, informed and, unexpectedly, hopeful. Here’s why he thinks you should see it too
Different than expected
I’ll be honest: I wasn’t sure what to expect. Another evening of sobering statistics, perhaps, delivered to a room of people who were already converted. What I got was something quite different – and considerably more powerful.
The People’s Emergency Briefing screening, hosted by the University of Kent in Canterbury, drew an audience that included local councillors and dignitaries – among them the Lord Mayor of Canterbury and Councillor Keji Moses. The room was engaged, attentive and, by the end, visibly moved.
Nine experts – one urgent message
The 50-minute film draws on a formal briefing held at Westminster in November 2025, where nine leading scientists and specialists presented the latest evidence on the climate and nature crisis to politicians and other decision-makers. Those experts covered nature (Professor Nathalie Seddon), climate (Professor Kevin Anderson), tipping points (Professor Tim Lenton OBE), weather extremes (Professor Hayley Fowler), food security (Professor Paul Behrens), health (Professor Hugh Montgomery OBE), national security (Lt General Richard Nugee), economics (Angela Francis) and energy transition (Tessa Khan).
What makes the film so effective is the way it weaves that expert testimony together with interviews by broadcaster Chris Packham – talking to celebrities and members of the public alike – to give the evidence a human dimension. It is clear, accessible and, at 50 minutes, admirably concise. This is not a lecture. It is a briefing, and it treats the audience as adults who deserve the full picture.
Scary, yes, but also genuinely inspiring
There were moments that were deeply uncomfortable to watch. The scale of biodiversity loss, the trajectory of global temperatures, the cascading risks to food systems and public health – none of it makes for easy viewing. But the film never leaves you stranded in despair. Running through it is a thread of credible, evidence-based optimism: the message that bold, urgent collective action can still make an enormous difference. As one audience member put it on the night, it was ‘exactly the kind of honest conversation we’ve been avoiding for too long.’
At etheco, everything we do is grounded in the belief that change is possible – that the choices we make as consumers, businesses and communities genuinely matter. Watching this film reinforced that conviction. The 4Ps – People, Planet, Pocket and Performance – are not abstract concepts. They are at the heart of the real-world consequences this film lays bare.
Now it’s your turn
This film deserves the widest possible audience. Screenings are taking place in communities across the UK – there is an interactive screen map to find one near you. And if there isn’t one? Why not consider hosting your own? The National Emergency Briefing provides everything you need, from a facilitation guide to poster designs. The window for meaningful action is narrowing. The least we can do is make sure we’re properly informed.