Our call to respond
The climate emergency is not only an earthly crisis, but a spiritual one. Scripture opens with a world spoken into being by love, declared very good before a single human hierarchy or economy exists (Genesis 1). The earth is not owned by humans, but entrusted to our care: ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it’ (Psalm 24). Biblical faith never treats land as inert or disposable. The soil receives Abel’s blood and cries out (Genesis 4); the land is commanded to rest and is said to enjoy its Sabbaths when justice is ignored (Leviticus 25; 2 Chronicles 36). When covenant is broken, the prophets do not describe the damage as abstract or metaphorical: the land mourns (Hosea 4), the fields languish, and creation itself bears the cost of human greed. Ecological devastation is named as the consequence of disordered power and forgotten responsibility.
This vision is even more expansive in the poetry and prophecy of scripture, where creation is not silent but responsive and alive to God. Mountains sing, trees clap their hands, rivers applaud the coming justice of God (Isaiah 55; Psalm 98). Even stones are said to cry out when truth is suppressed (Luke 19). In the New Testament, St Paul gives theological language to this sense of earth’s expectation: ‘the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains until now’ (Romans 8), longing not for escape but for redemption alongside humanity. Salvation is never a private transaction; it is God’s reconciling work ‘of all things, whether on earth or in heaven’ (Colossians 1). To face the climate emergency, then, is to face a theological crisis of relationship — with God, with neighbour, and with the living earth itself.
For the Church, eco-justice is not an optional concern for the unusually informed or ethically inclined. It is a matter of discipleship, repentance, and truth-telling. In a moment when creation’s groaning grows louder, silence becomes its own theological stance. Eco-theology equips churches to recover a faith spacious enough to hear the voices of the land, courageous enough to name what systems of sin are crucifying both people and planet, and hopeful enough to believe that resurrection demands change — here, now, and together.
When discussing the People’s Emergency Briefing, you might like to consider these questions:
- Where do our worship, preaching, and prayers reflect (or resist) the biblical vision of creation as active, relational, and beloved?
- What forms of repentance, resistance, and repair might faithfulness require of us in this moment?
- If creation is groaning for liberation, how might the Church be called to listen — and to act?
What is the People’s Emergency Briefing and why should I organise a screening?
The People’s Emergency Briefing is a film produced to inform and encourage people to act on the climate crisis. The core of its content is taken from a day of presentations given at Methodist Central Hall, Westminster in 2025 by some of the UK’s leading experts in areas impacted by climate change, from extreme weather events to food systems and from health services to national security.
As part of hosting a screening you are asked to invite local elected representatives, for example your MP, MSP or local councillors, to watch the film alongside you. Surveys show that these individuals repeatedly underestimate just how concerned the general public is about climate change and so this is a way of showing them how much you care and why they should try to take action in their respective roles.
The People’s Emergency Briefing focusses on the impacts of climate change on the UK. This is because many people think of climate change as something that is happening elsewhere, when in reality it will have serious consequences in the UK too. This is particularly important when thinking about encouraging our elected representatives to act on climate change as they will see how much harder it will be to deliver effective public services with the additional strains placed on them in an ever-warming world.
The focus on the UK can also be challenging, particularly for Christians who have a long history of caring about the material and spiritual wellbeing of our global neighbours outside the UK. We don’t think that this should stop you from hosting the film, but you could think about including these questions in the structured discussions you have after the screening:
- If these impacts are going to be felt in the UK, how do you think they will impact other countries, particularly those with less economic resources than the UK?
- The film references the concern of climate-induced migration. How can we ensure that we are recognising the rights of people everywhere to live in a safe, habitable environment while discussing these issues?
- How could the Church and Christians be involved in responding to the climate crisis outside the UK?
You might also like to think about how the items discussed in the film would impact a community in a different part of the UK. If you live in a city, try thinking about how this information would feel to a rural community and vice-versa.
How can I find out more?
The full details and information on how to sign your church or community space up to host a screening are available on the National Emergency Briefing website.
JPIT has worked with a coalition of UK churches and Christian organisations including the Church of England, the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, Tearfund, Operation Noah, Green Christian and more on a short resource tailored to churches who are planning to host a screening.
If you host a screening, please let us know and send us any pictures of the event to hello@jpit.uk