The implications of climate and nature breakdown were starkly detailed in a film shown to an audience in Swanage, Dorset, including MP for South Dorset Lloyd Hatton and the leader of Dorset Council Nick Ireland.
The 50 minute People’s Emergency Briefing film, which is being shown at community venues across the UK, includes footage of an event which took place in Westminster, London in November 2025.
The film is presented by Chris Packham featuring some well known people like Jennifer Saunders
Film with Jennifer Saunders and Deborah Meaden
The London event was hosted by environmentalist Chris Packham, and in the film, he talks to actor Jennifer Saunders and business entrepreneur Deborah Meaden, along with others.
At the evening event at The Swanage School on Friday 5th June 2026, the screening was followed by short presentations from local politicians, who reflected on what they thought about the film and the environmental issues.
MP Lloyd Hatton (centre) listened to others’ views following the film
“Current pace of change is not enough”
The first to speak was local MP Lloyd Hatton, who said:
“I completely agree with the briefing saying the pace of change has to step up again and again and again. The current pace of change is not enough. It is a step in the right direction, but it is not enough as it stands…
“One of the things I take very seriously as an MP for an area which is indeed nature rich, is that we’ve got amazing local action here when it comes to protecting and restoring nature and reversing biodiversity loss.
“And that’s a great local story, but what we need is a national story as well, that’s equally as positive and equally as ambitious. And I don’t think we’re quite there yet.
“So for me, that’s something that I want to drive forward and try to influence and I suppose lobby government, just like Jennifer Saunder’s, to make sure that we get into a better place when it comes to having a really ambitious programme for rebuilding nature and for reversing the horrific collapse in biodiversity that we’ve seen.”
Leader of Dorset Council Nick Ireland is passionate about environmental issues and finding solutions
“We are all part of the solution”
Next up was the leader of Dorset Council, Nick Ireland. He is also the council’s portfolio holder for environment and climate change and was fortunate to be invited to the original event in London and see the musician Jarvis Cocker among others. He said:
“I think what has stayed with me is how the film clearly connects what’s happening nationally with what’s happening on the ground, and what happens in Dorset and in Swanage really, really matters.
“It’s very easy to think of climate change as something that’s happening, you know, somewhere distant, but I think the film brings home that it’s already affecting people here and the things we care about.
“So we’ve seen flooding a lot this winter. We’ve seen coastal change and the state of our landscape, and you don’t have to look very far in Swanage to see where you are on the coast, that things are changing, whether you just notice changes in the weather and how it’s becoming less predictable.
“I’m also struck by the focus on systems – it’s not just on individual things. It’s about how we do things collectively. It’s telling people to do things differently, but in a collective manner.
“So it’s about energy, it’s about housing, it’s about farming, it’s about transport, it’s about nature, and how they all fit together, because we are all part of the solution, it’s not just one thing.”
Swanage town mayor Chris Tomes explains some of the actions taken by the council to reduce its carbon footprint
“A greener, stronger, and more resilient future”
Swanage town mayor Chris Tomes spoke about some of the practical measures the town council has taken:
“We have taken steps to reduce our environmental impact through initiatives such as solar panels on the depot and beach gardens, replacing lights across all of our state to energy-efficient LED systems, switching to a green energy supply, and other things.
“This has reduced our carbon footprint from 100 tonnes of CO2 in 2022, down to just 39.2 tonnes in 2025. So we are going in the right direction. We’ve more than halved our carbon footprint in the last three years, but obviously we know there’s a lot more to do, and there’s challenges ahead of us…
“We have such an awareness of what we’re doing to the planet, and never before have we had the power to do something about it. Here in Swanage, we are already taking action, and I hope by working together as a community, I believe we can create a greener, stronger, and more resilient future for the generations to come.”
Councillor Ben Wilson (centre) joined in the discussions after the film, along with Lloyd Hatton (left)
“Still people out there who consider it is a choice”
Councillor Ben Wilson who represents much of Purbeck on Dorset Council concluded:
“There are two things that really stand out for me from watching the film. Number one is that there are still people out there who consider it is a choice whether we respond to the crisis or not.
“The second, that strikes me is that the noise against reacting to where we find ourselves, is quite often louder than the noise of the people who we have been listening to this evening…
“And it’s organisations like Planet Purbeck and Sustainable Swanage that are out there conveying the message and spreading that word, and that is so critical for moving this forward. So I just want to say thank you to those organisations.”
Nature rich Swanage but much of the country has lost its biodiversity
Three new groups to tackle environmental issues
Sustainable Swanage is spearheading a community response to many of the issues raised in the film and has set up three groups and events, to help people get involved.
- Beyond the Sand: 6.30 pm on Thursday 11th June 2026 at The Focus Centre – Come along to help support the protection of the marine environment in Swanage Bay
- Swanage Community Travel and Transport: 6.30 pm on Thursday 18th June 2026 at The Focus Centre – Support the development and promotion of sustainable travel options in and around Swanage
- Swanage Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: 10.30 am to 12.30 pm at Herston Village Hall, Jubilee Road, Swanage on 27 June, 26 September and 24 October – The Repair Cafe helps reduce waste, reuse resources and recycle more effectively
Protecting the marine environment is crucial to Swanage
“Passionate about improving the natural environment”
Izzy Zanconato from Sustainable Swanage said:
“We’re starting three new groups and everyone is invited to come along to the launch events. The first is all about the marine environment and promoting what is under the sea, like the seagrass. Followed by meetings about sustainable transport and reducing waste.
“We’d love those who are passionate about improving the natural environment in Swanage to come along to the events which interest them.
“It’s also about visitors and regenerative tourism – leaving our town in a better condition than before. Many visit because of nostalgia, because they visited Swanage in the past when they were children. So we need to protect the environment, so they can revisit it for generations to come.”
Further information
- The National Emergency Briefing website
- Find a screening near you
- More about future events on the Sustainable Swanage website
