The People's Emergency Briefing set for community screening in east Mayo

A free public screening of The People’s Emergency Briefing will take place in Ballyhaunis Community Hall on September 18 at 7.15 p.m., followed by a facilitated community discussion. This screening is a partnership between Climate Café Connacht and Ballyhaunis Community Council.

The screening forms part of a growing programme of events designed to help ensure that both the public and decision-makers are clearly and honestly informed about the climate and nature crisis – and what it may mean for communities across Ireland and the UK.

In November 2025, more than 1,200 MPs, peers and leaders from business, culture, faith, sport and the media gathered at Westminster Central Hall, London, for the National Emergency Briefing – a landmark event bringing together leading experts to assess the nation’s exposure to climate and nature risks.

The briefing, introduced by Chris Packham CBE, set out the implications of climate and nature breakdown for food security, public health, infrastructure, the economy and national security, alongside evidence-based actions that could reduce these risks.

Th event has now been adapted into a 50-minute public film, The People’s Emergency Briefing, which launched in the UK on April 7 last and is now being screened in communities across the UK and Ireland, with showings in Belfast, Derry, Dublin, Wicklow and Cork.

The film brings together leading scientists to present a clear picture of the challenges ahead while creating space for local communities to consider what these issues may mean in their area and how they can support their public representatives to call for stronger action.

Chris Packham said: “I’d encourage people everywhere to attend a screening of The People’s Emergency Briefing. It creates exactly the kind of honest local conversation we now urgently need, both about what these changes mean where we live and about what we can do together to address them.”

In the west of Ireland, the screening comes at a time when the Mayo Biodiversity Plan has been released and citizens are increasingly concerned around issues of food resilience, energy price and water availability.

Following the film, attendees will be invited to take part in a structured discussion designed to support open, constructive conversation about the issues raised and what they may mean locally.

Organisers emphasise that the event is intended as a civic space, bringing together residents, community groups and decision-makers. Local TDs, councillors and others have been invited to attend and take part in this important community event.

Climate Café Connacht said: “This is about creating space for people to come together, look at the evidence, and begin a more open and informed conversation about what it means for our community – and how we can support the bolder action now called for by the science, which will also do so much to improve lives, as the film explains.”

Local events form part of a broader effort to build a shared understanding of climate and nature risks across Ireland, and to support constructive public dialogue about future choices. Tickets for the Ballyhaunis screening are free but advance registration is essential at https://tinyurl.com/PEBBallyhaunis.