MEMBERS of the public are being urged to attend the Winsford screening of a groundbreaking film setting out the climate and nature risks facing the UK and the country's available responses.
The People's Emergency Briefing is a 50-minute film combining authoritative scientific content with reactions from the public and familiar faces, to inform viewers about climate and nature threats.
It will also provide detail on the responses available to the country as well as the benefits of the Government leading genuine emergency action.
And, thanks to community group Winsford Sustainability Partners (WiSP), the film will be screened in the town at the Winsford Academy on Friday, May 15, from 7.30pm, followed by facilitated discussion until 9pm.
Entry is free, with the film suitable for those 16 and over, although 16 and 17-year-olds must be accompanied by an adult.
Kathy Fallon, a retired Winsford GP and member of WiSP, said: "As a retired doctor, I see the devastating effects of the breakdown of our climate and nature on our health.
"It affects every part of our bodies. It's a health emergency that requires a pandemic-style response from our leaders.
"We need carbon emissions to drop off a cliff, then keep falling. Trying to mop up carbon emissions in elaborate carbon capture schemes is not going to cut it without turning the tap off.
"There were nearly 3,000 excess deaths in the UK alone due to the 40-degree heatwave of 2022."
Retired industry chemist, Mark Sullivan, also a WiSP member, added: "We're in the midst of a global polycrisis.
"Nature, climate and our food and energy systems are all under massive strain.
"Yet destructive wars continue unabated, the global population still rises and societal breakdown is seemingly never far away.
"So, rather than watching TV repeats on a Friday night, come to the Winsford Academy and watch this thought-provoking film."
Tickets for the screening are available via WiSP's Facebook page or online at tickettailor.com/events/winsfordsustainabilitypartners/2152124.
The film is being released nationally and alternative screenings can be found online at nebriefing.org/screening-map.
WiSP member Gilly Higgs, a Winsford smallholder and woodland manager, said: "As a gardener I worry about the state of our natural world.
"According to the 2023 State of the Nation Government report, ‘the UK is now one of the most nature depleted countries on Earth’.
"Professor of biodiversity, Natalie Seddon, wrote in her recent presentation for the People’s Emergency Briefing: ‘One in six species faces extinction.
'This is a loss of vital functions, pollination, clean water and flood regulation, not just wildlife. Nature is critical national infrastructure.
'When we destroy it we increase floods, heat deaths, food shortages and economic instability. When we restore it we reduce risk, save lives and strengthen the economy.’
"This is confirmed by the recent Government report on 'Global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and national security'. Loss of nature reduces national security."
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