In what world does love win?

A few weeks ago, I went to two events, back to back, that I thought were separate. It turned out they were intimately connected.

Event 1: Screening of the People’s Emergency Briefing in Liverpool

This is a powerful 50-minute round-up of where the climate crisis is up to. How close to collapse we are, how nearly we’ve bankrupted nature.

Thankfully, the film also covers the undeniable benefits of facing this head on. It highlights potential responses that are effective and pretty intuitive.

Between pithy updates, we watched famous faces and members of the public process them and react. Watching, I felt what they were feeling, and so did scores of others in the room.

👪 That’s the thing. This film is intended for community screenings only (at least for now), so you can’t be alone with it. You can only watch it alongside the communities you’re ultimately going to have to respond to the crisis with. It makes sense.

Afterwards, I realised that this was the kind of messaging I’ve been hoping to see for a long time. It’s authoritative, digestible, psychologically realistic, savvy, and caring. Even funny in places, if you’ll believe me.

Event 2: My Great-Aunt Dot’s funeral

Dot lived to 94 and was loved by several generations. Children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren all attended the funeral. I heard tales of cycling trips to the Welsh countryside in her youth, family get-togethers with abundant buffets, and access to care into her nineties.

And on the way home, I realised this:

💡 Everything we celebrated at Dot’s funeral is what we’re fighting for when we fight climate chaos. The chance of a long life, enough food, decent health, and some leisure. The means to care for the young and the old – to express our love for them in the most fundamental of ways.

In short, the stable existence that we can only have in a stable climate.

There are already too many people in the world who don’t get to enjoy that sort of existence. And already too much biodiversity lost. We’re supposed to be moving the dial towards more of what’s good, not less.

So let’s get on with it, together.

Watching the People’s Emergency Briefing can help with that. Could you organise a screening too? Maybe for your neighbours, colleagues, community group, or students. There are resources to help you.

And rest in peace, lovely Aunty Dot. I hope that between us we’ll do everything possible for those children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of yours.