WCA screened The People’s Emergency Briefing at Wanstead Library on 3^rd June 2026. The event was very well-attended by local residents.  We were delighted to be joined by Calvin Bailey MBE, MP for Leyton & Wanstead. 

Councillor Jo Blackman, Redbridge lead for Environment and Sustainability, also attended – as well as 3 other Councillors.

The People’s Emergency Briefing is a film about the risks to British life from ongoing damage to nature and to our climate. The 50-minute film presents evidence from leading UK experts on climate science, food security, health and economic stability.  It is about the direct impact of climate change on ordinary life – only last summer, there were wildfires on Wanstead Flats, which led to the call-out of 70 firefighters and 10 fire engines.  

In it, naturalist and television presenter Chris Packham is joined by people from all walks of life, including well-known public figures like Jennifer Saunders and Deborah Meaden. Members of the public and celebrities discuss their concerns and hopes in a film which is both serious and uplifting.

After the screening, there was a facilitated discussion.  Attendees discussed their responses to the film in small groups before sharing their responses with the wider room.  Some felt sadness, despair or frustration.  Others felt that we have an ability to change things – through our spending power, community action or by lobbying elected representatives. 

Calvin Bailey expressed his own concerns about climate change.  With a family himself, he wants them to have the same opportunities – including a good environment.  He referred to the social change to a throwaway culture, but shared that he learned to darn as a child – and has passed the same skill to his own children.  He acknowledged that climate change is the number one issue of our times.  However, he added that we are in a cost of living crisis so the transition needs to be delivered in a way that supports those worst off.

In January 2026, Redbridge Councillors unanimously declared a Nature Emergency.  Councillor Jo Blackman found the film moving and reminiscent of Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth.  She mentioned achievements including more EV charging points, cycle lanes and pollinator pathways.  Jo thanked those in the room who had engaged in consultations to help make these changes happen.  She did not dismiss the despair felt by some in the room – but re-affirmed her commitment to further drive down emissions in Redbridge. 

Cedric Knight of Wanstead Climate Action spoke briefly.  Noting that the talk was taking place in the Churchill Room, he quoted: “I never ‘worry’ about action, but only about inaction.” and “There is no greater mistake than to suppose that platitudes, smooth words, and timid policies offer a path to safety.” The film opened with a statement that the emergency “needs a response similar to the scale of the Second World War”.

The meeting closed with all attendees being encouraged to contact their MP and to spread the word about the briefings.  Every MP is being asked to call on the government to provide a clear, televised briefing to the nation about the risks of climate breakdown.

Wanstead Climate Action is not affiliated with any political party.  To find out more: https://wansteadclimateaction.com

Getting involved in communityaction is another possible response, including practical actions like Transition Ilford, Transition Leytonstone or WCA’s own repair cafés (see below).

“A squadron of community-minded locusts” is quite the compliment. Paul Powlesland and volunteers received deserved recognition in a Channel 4 broadcast, which highlighted their efforts to protect and restore the river.

As one volunteer poignantly put it “This is what happens when nothing happens”

Wanstead and Woodford river guardians continue to bash the highly invasive and non-native Himalayan Balsam that blights the banks of the River Roding.

There is still much to do – the Roding is London’s third longest river after all, with plenty of upcoming sessions planned.

The Stop the Edmonton Incinerator campaign request a pause and review of the plans for the new Edmonton incinerator.

The Stop the Edmonton Incinerator campaign started in early 2019 with a group of families who live near the site. Familiar with the plumes of pollution and concerned about the environmental and public health risks of its rebuild, they joined forces with residents across North London with a view to build a greener, cleaner London.

Located in Waltham Forest, the plume from burning general waste from seven London boroughs does, unsurprisingly, reach Redbridge.