A free community screening of a film examining the risks posed by climate change and nature loss comes to the Yorkshire Dales on Saturday 1 August, with Foundation For Nature founder and president Professor David Hill CBE DL among those attending. The event, staged by Climate Action Grassington at The Octagon, Grassington Devonshire Institute, runs from 7pm to 9pm and features a 50 minute documentary, The People’s Emergency Briefing, drawing on the evidence of nine UK scientists and experts. Professor Hill, a Deputy Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, will join residents for the screening and a community discussion exploring what changing climate and nature patterns could mean for farming, water and everyday life in the Dales. Doors open at 6.45pm and tickets, though free, are recommended to be booked in advance.
A Film Born From Westminster
The documentary being shown in Grassington traces its origins to the National Emergency Briefing, held at Westminster Central Hall in November 2025, where more than 1,200 MPs, peers and leaders from business, culture, faith, sport and the media gathered to examine risks to public health, food supplies, infrastructure, the economy and national security. The film condenses those findings into a 50 minute format aimed at wider public audiences, featuring wildlife presenter Chris Packham and businesswoman Deborah Meaden alongside voices from communities across the UK. It sets out the latest evidence on extreme weather, food security, health and the cost of living, translating national level risk assessments into terms relevant to local communities.
Why Grassington
Organisers point to the particular relevance of the film’s themes for the Yorkshire Dales, where farming, water, wildlife and shifting weather patterns are closely bound up with local livelihoods. The screening is intended not simply as a viewing but as the start of a conversation among residents about what national and global risks might mean closer to home.
A spokesperson for Climate Action Grassington said:
“This is an opportunity for people to come together, hear clear information and think about what it may mean for our own community. We want to create space for an open and informed discussion, and the event is open to anyone, whatever their starting point or previous view.”
A Closing Window
Professor Hill, whose conservation career includes developing the concept of biodiversity net gain and service as deputy chair of Natural England, has been outspoken about the urgency of the risks the film sets out. His remarks range across the physical effects already being observed and the scale of what remains at stake if action stalls.
Professor Hill said:
“Climate change and biodiversity loss are both existential threats to us. We are already seeing the effects of climate change through dramatic increases in energy in the atmosphere leading to greater extremes of intense heat, more and heavier rainfall, flooding and loss of snowbound winters.”
“Catastrophic global impacts include habitat loss, desertification, a lack of water, wildfires, and potential changes to ocean currents, all of which will make the planet less habitable for our ever-growing human population.”
“His Majesty The King has led the march to have climate change impacts properly recognised with urgency. Our window for influencing future climate change is closing; that is why people must embrace the challenge and take notice of the very sobering messages from this important film.”
Attending On The Night
The Grassington screening follows the format of the Westminster briefing on a community scale, with doors opening at 6.45pm ahead of the 7pm start and a discussion session planned once the film has finished. Light refreshments will be available, and while tickets are free, organisers recommend booking given limited seating at the venue. Donations towards venue hire and running costs are welcome, and the event carries a recommended minimum age of 16. Free tickets can be reserved online.
Local Screenings, National Reach
The Grassington event reflects a wider pattern of the film travelling beyond its Westminster premiere into towns and villages where its subject matter has direct bearing on daily life. For a community shaped by farming, water and landscape, the screening offers residents a chance to weigh national scientific evidence against their own experience of a changing climate, with Professor Hill’s presence lending the discussion added weight from someone who has spent his career working on conservation and environmental policy.
