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Creating space for debate - As part of the wider mission of Merseyside Environmental Trust
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Beyond the Heatwave:
What 2026’s Scorching Summer Means for Liverpool City Region's Climate Future
The summer of 2026 has been a wake-up call for the Liverpool City Region. With July and August bringing extended heatwaves, Yellow Heat-Health Alerts, and a regional "Prolonged Dry Weather" status across Merseyside, the warm weather has shifted from a rare treat to an urgent climate reality.
The Looming 2027 "Super El Niño"
While the recent heatwaves brought challenges, scientists warn that the coming year could prove even more demanding. The Met Office has signalled that an unprecedented El Niño pattern forming in the Pacific is on track to become the strongest recorded in over a century.
Because El Niño acts as a global thermal engine, its full heating impact manifests in the atmosphere during the following calendar year. Meteorologists project that 2027 will likely replace 2024 as the hottest year in recorded history, pushing global temperatures temporarily past 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. For Merseyside, this dynamic portends intense atmospheric volatility: a stormy, wet autumn in late 2026, followed by heightened heat extremes, severe dry spells, and intense summer humidity in 2027.
How Merseyside Residents Can Prepare and Mitigate the Heat
Adapting to extreme heat requires both short-term individual actions and long-term community resilience:
The Looming 2027 "Super El Niño"
While the recent heatwaves brought challenges, scientists warn that the coming year could prove even more demanding. The Met Office has signalled that an unprecedented El Niño pattern forming in the Pacific is on track to become the strongest recorded in over a century.
Because El Niño acts as a global thermal engine, its full heating impact manifests in the atmosphere during the following calendar year. Meteorologists project that 2027 will likely replace 2024 as the hottest year in recorded history, pushing global temperatures temporarily past 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. For Merseyside, this dynamic portends intense atmospheric volatility: a stormy, wet autumn in late 2026, followed by heightened heat extremes, severe dry spells, and intense summer humidity in 2027.
How Merseyside Residents Can Prepare and Mitigate the Heat
Adapting to extreme heat requires both short-term individual actions and long-term community resilience:
- Retrofit for Passive Cooling: Keep blinds and curtains closed on south-facing windows during peak daytime sun to block thermal energy. At night, open windows on opposite sides of your home to create a natural cross-breeze.
- Harvest Water Early: Install rain barrels or water butts now. With wetter autumn weather expected before the 2027 dry spells hit, storing rainwater will protect gardens and conserve municipal supplies when water restrictions take effect.
- Greening the Built Environment: Plant native trees, shrubs, or window boxes. Vegetation plays a crucial role in curbing the "urban heat island" effect across urban centres like Liverpool and Birkenhead by absorbing heat and providing shade.
- Check on Vulnerable Neighbours: Prolonged heat puts elderly residents and those with pre-existing health conditions at severe risk. Establishing neighbourhood check-ins during heatwaves saves lives.
- Choose Active and Low-Carbon Travel: Swapping short vehicle trips for walking, cycling, or using the region's expanding zero-emission public transit network cuts localized heat emissions and lowers overall carbon impact.
11th Gary Mahoney Memorial Debate
This years’ Gary Mahoney Memorial Debate (the 11th), held with our partners Friends of the Earth Liverpool and Faiths4Change, was a break in tradition with it being a screening of the People’s Emergency Briefing with approximately 100 attendees and supported by Greenpeace, Mersey Forest, Transition Liverpool, Christian Climate Action, Grow Wellbeing, University of Liverpool Riverscapes project and Energy Projects Plus who all had stands at the event and engaged with the audience.
One of the discussion topics on the night was what three words sum up how you feel after watching the film and what stayed with you the most? Below is a word cloud to sum up the temperature in the room.
One of the discussion topics on the night was what three words sum up how you feel after watching the film and what stayed with you the most? Below is a word cloud to sum up the temperature in the room.
Released in April 2026, The People’s Emergency Briefing (PEB) is a 50-minute documentary and nationwide grassroots campaign designed to confront the UK public with the stark realities of climate and ecological breakdown.
The film originates from a landmark November 2025 event at Westminster Hall, where ten of the UK's leading scientists, military personnel, and financial experts gave a comprehensive briefing to over 1,200 politicians and cross-industry leaders. The documentary packages that evidence for the general public using a "Gogglebox-style" format—interspersing authoritative scientific testimony with the raw, human reactions of celebrities (such as Jennifer Saunders and Deborah Meaden) and everyday citizens.
What the Film Covers
Rather than framing climate change as a distant global issue, the film focuses heavily on the immediate national implications for the UK, detailing threats to:
Key Aims and Ambitions
The project is structured less like a standard film release and more like a tool for community mobilisation, operating with several clear ambitions:
1. Forcing Government Accountability and Public Truth
The primary political aim is to build massive public pressure to force the UK government to hold a live, televised national emergency briefing (similar to the daily broadcast briefings seen during the COVID-19 pandemic). The organisers argue that while the government's internal risk assessments acknowledge ecological collapse, the public has never been honestly briefed on what it means for their lives.
2. Community Mobilisation via "Screening Activism"
The film is designed to be a catalyst for local action. Rather than streaming at home, citizens, churches, universities, and local councils are hosting grass-roots screenings using an interactive UK map. Each screening mandates a structured, post-film conversation where communities can process their feelings and pivot toward regional climate solutions. Past and planned screening locally can be found here.
3. Bridging the Gap Between Constituents and MPs
A unique ambition of the PEB campaign is to get Members of Parliament (MPs) to attend local screenings. The goal is to force politicians to sit alongside their constituents, face the exact same scientific evidence, and actively engage in a dialogue about what an urgent, World War II-scale legislative response should look like.
4. Highlighting Credible, Hopeful Pathways
While the data presented is deliberately frank and alarming, the film heavily highlights positive, practical solutions. Its broader societal ambitions include pushing for a green circular economy, cheaper public transport, warmer/insulated homes, and the rapid generation of green jobs to show that emergency climate action can ultimately improve daily livelihoods.
If you didn’t manage to see the film more screenings are available locally and can be found on the Action Network site, National Emergency Broadcast Campaign - Merseyside
See what is happening about Climate Change in your area
The film originates from a landmark November 2025 event at Westminster Hall, where ten of the UK's leading scientists, military personnel, and financial experts gave a comprehensive briefing to over 1,200 politicians and cross-industry leaders. The documentary packages that evidence for the general public using a "Gogglebox-style" format—interspersing authoritative scientific testimony with the raw, human reactions of celebrities (such as Jennifer Saunders and Deborah Meaden) and everyday citizens.
What the Film Covers
Rather than framing climate change as a distant global issue, the film focuses heavily on the immediate national implications for the UK, detailing threats to:
- Food Systems & Prices: How extreme weather and ecosystem collapse directly drive-up grocery costs and threaten domestic food security.
- National Security: How global resource scarcity and mass migration affect UK stability.
- The NHS & Public Health: The growing strain on public health infrastructure due to rising temperatures and environmental degradation.
- Economic Stability: The sheer financial risks of failing to treat biodiversity and nature as "critical national infrastructure".
Key Aims and Ambitions
The project is structured less like a standard film release and more like a tool for community mobilisation, operating with several clear ambitions:
1. Forcing Government Accountability and Public Truth
The primary political aim is to build massive public pressure to force the UK government to hold a live, televised national emergency briefing (similar to the daily broadcast briefings seen during the COVID-19 pandemic). The organisers argue that while the government's internal risk assessments acknowledge ecological collapse, the public has never been honestly briefed on what it means for their lives.
2. Community Mobilisation via "Screening Activism"
The film is designed to be a catalyst for local action. Rather than streaming at home, citizens, churches, universities, and local councils are hosting grass-roots screenings using an interactive UK map. Each screening mandates a structured, post-film conversation where communities can process their feelings and pivot toward regional climate solutions. Past and planned screening locally can be found here.
3. Bridging the Gap Between Constituents and MPs
A unique ambition of the PEB campaign is to get Members of Parliament (MPs) to attend local screenings. The goal is to force politicians to sit alongside their constituents, face the exact same scientific evidence, and actively engage in a dialogue about what an urgent, World War II-scale legislative response should look like.
4. Highlighting Credible, Hopeful Pathways
While the data presented is deliberately frank and alarming, the film heavily highlights positive, practical solutions. Its broader societal ambitions include pushing for a green circular economy, cheaper public transport, warmer/insulated homes, and the rapid generation of green jobs to show that emergency climate action can ultimately improve daily livelihoods.
If you didn’t manage to see the film more screenings are available locally and can be found on the Action Network site, National Emergency Broadcast Campaign - Merseyside
See what is happening about Climate Change in your area
3rd Annual Gary Mahoney Memorial Debate
On Thursday 1st June 2017 in The Pearce Room at The Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool, Merseyside Environmental Trust and Liverpool Friends of the Earth held a joint event in honour of the late Gary Mahoney, an Air Quality Manager with Sefton Council and long-time Friends of the Earth representative. After the monthly Liverpool Green Drinks networking event had concluded downstairs at The Wave Bar, attendees moved upstairs to hear the responses to the debate question 'How Green Can We Go?'. This years debate was expertly chaired by Annie Merry of Faiths4Change and the debate panel consisted of Clara Paillard, Liverpool-based member of the PCS union’s national executive committee and active with Trade Unions for Energy Democracy, and David Connor, Managing Director of Coethica and UK Regional Voice Lead of Impact 2030 a global private sector-led coalition supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
After a heartfelt introduction by Frank Kennedy of Liverpool Friends of the Earth of his memories of Gary Mahoney, how his influence encouraged him to originally join Friends of the Earth and the impact he had on not just local but global debates in relation to the environment, Annie Merry of Faiths4Change introduced the panel. Clara Paillard spoke first, detailing her union's commitment to informing on the environment and stating how a situation whereby jobs and the environment are seen as an either/or is simply unacceptable. She argued that the housing crisis and building sustainable homes can be tackled and that the examples of the indoor smoking ban and charge on plastic bags shows that the wider public can adapt to environmental change measures. David Connor spoke next about the importance of the private sector stepping up to the challenge and the role of legislation in achieving this. He detailed the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as a huge opportunity for public/private sector collaboration and to communicate the issues at hand to the wider public.
After a short interval, audience questions were pooled and discussed by the panel with a broad range of topics up for discussion in relation to trade unions and the private sectors role in tackling climate change, food packaging as an industry problem, the role of the established media in distributing the right environmental message to its audience and much more. These lively discussions led to much back and forth between the panel and the audience with positive attitude and a collaborative spirit being the atmosphere of the room. Debate chair Annie Merry brought a conclusion to the evenings procedings and revealed that new Metro Mayor Steve Rotherham has shown an interest in joining a debate panel for next year and thus encouraged the audience to think up a locally situated question that may best put to the 2018 panel.
Merseyside Environmental Trust would like to thank Liverpool Friends of the Earth, Clara Paillard, David Connor, Annie Merry and all who attended the 3rd Annual Gary Mahoney Memorial Debate and Liverpool Green Drinks on the 1st June, we hope to see you at the 2018 edition of the event.
To view a Gallery of pictures from the event, click here.
On Thursday 1st June 2017 in The Pearce Room at The Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool, Merseyside Environmental Trust and Liverpool Friends of the Earth held a joint event in honour of the late Gary Mahoney, an Air Quality Manager with Sefton Council and long-time Friends of the Earth representative. After the monthly Liverpool Green Drinks networking event had concluded downstairs at The Wave Bar, attendees moved upstairs to hear the responses to the debate question 'How Green Can We Go?'. This years debate was expertly chaired by Annie Merry of Faiths4Change and the debate panel consisted of Clara Paillard, Liverpool-based member of the PCS union’s national executive committee and active with Trade Unions for Energy Democracy, and David Connor, Managing Director of Coethica and UK Regional Voice Lead of Impact 2030 a global private sector-led coalition supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
After a heartfelt introduction by Frank Kennedy of Liverpool Friends of the Earth of his memories of Gary Mahoney, how his influence encouraged him to originally join Friends of the Earth and the impact he had on not just local but global debates in relation to the environment, Annie Merry of Faiths4Change introduced the panel. Clara Paillard spoke first, detailing her union's commitment to informing on the environment and stating how a situation whereby jobs and the environment are seen as an either/or is simply unacceptable. She argued that the housing crisis and building sustainable homes can be tackled and that the examples of the indoor smoking ban and charge on plastic bags shows that the wider public can adapt to environmental change measures. David Connor spoke next about the importance of the private sector stepping up to the challenge and the role of legislation in achieving this. He detailed the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as a huge opportunity for public/private sector collaboration and to communicate the issues at hand to the wider public.
After a short interval, audience questions were pooled and discussed by the panel with a broad range of topics up for discussion in relation to trade unions and the private sectors role in tackling climate change, food packaging as an industry problem, the role of the established media in distributing the right environmental message to its audience and much more. These lively discussions led to much back and forth between the panel and the audience with positive attitude and a collaborative spirit being the atmosphere of the room. Debate chair Annie Merry brought a conclusion to the evenings procedings and revealed that new Metro Mayor Steve Rotherham has shown an interest in joining a debate panel for next year and thus encouraged the audience to think up a locally situated question that may best put to the 2018 panel.
Merseyside Environmental Trust would like to thank Liverpool Friends of the Earth, Clara Paillard, David Connor, Annie Merry and all who attended the 3rd Annual Gary Mahoney Memorial Debate and Liverpool Green Drinks on the 1st June, we hope to see you at the 2018 edition of the event.
To view a Gallery of pictures from the event, click here.
23/09/2016
2nd Natural Health Service Event
Yesterday evening at The Quaker Meeting House, Merseyside Environmental Trust and The Duncan Society jointly presented the second Natural Health Service event. This well attended event featured a lecture by Dr Zoe Knowles and Dr Lynne Boddy entitled "Children and Natural environments as agents of change: The case of physical activity".
The lecture began with a thorough methodology before moving onto the reasons children are active, with particular focus surrounding school time as a traditional setting and opportunity for activity, set against leisure time which can often be held back by barriers and constraints. From this, the Forest School concept was introduced as a natural environment intervention, with an explanation of how it is curriculum mapped yet also beneficial in terms of increased physical activity levels for the children involved. An interesting concluding theme was that children themselves could become the key change agent for wider family behavioural change in terms of becoming active and tackling obesity.
Following the lecture, a lively and thought provoking Q & A session eventually turned into a cross room discussion of stimulating debate and thoughts. Topics discussed ranged from cost implications/solutions, exercise as a prescriptive measure, how best Forest School can co-exist with the curriculum and more widely the current state and future of Liverpool's parks and green spaces.
Merseyside Environmental Trust would like to thank The Duncan Society, Dr Zoe Knowles, Dr Lynne Boddy and everyone in attendance for their interest and participation in such a successful event.
2nd Natural Health Service Event
Yesterday evening at The Quaker Meeting House, Merseyside Environmental Trust and The Duncan Society jointly presented the second Natural Health Service event. This well attended event featured a lecture by Dr Zoe Knowles and Dr Lynne Boddy entitled "Children and Natural environments as agents of change: The case of physical activity".
The lecture began with a thorough methodology before moving onto the reasons children are active, with particular focus surrounding school time as a traditional setting and opportunity for activity, set against leisure time which can often be held back by barriers and constraints. From this, the Forest School concept was introduced as a natural environment intervention, with an explanation of how it is curriculum mapped yet also beneficial in terms of increased physical activity levels for the children involved. An interesting concluding theme was that children themselves could become the key change agent for wider family behavioural change in terms of becoming active and tackling obesity.
Following the lecture, a lively and thought provoking Q & A session eventually turned into a cross room discussion of stimulating debate and thoughts. Topics discussed ranged from cost implications/solutions, exercise as a prescriptive measure, how best Forest School can co-exist with the curriculum and more widely the current state and future of Liverpool's parks and green spaces.
Merseyside Environmental Trust would like to thank The Duncan Society, Dr Zoe Knowles, Dr Lynne Boddy and everyone in attendance for their interest and participation in such a successful event.
06/06/2016
2nd Annual Gary Mahoney Memorial Debate - Climate Crisis? How do we respond?
On Thursday 2nd June at The Adelphi Hotel in central Liverpool, Merseyside Environmental Trust alongside Liverpool Friends of the Earth presented the 2nd Annual Gary Mahoney Memorial Debate with the question being “Climate Crisis? How do we respond?”. After an introduction to the event by Frank Kennedy, including some heartfelt memories of Gary Mahoney, the debate panel of Professor Andy Morse and The Right Reverend Paul Bayes were introduced, along with the debate Chair, Friends of the Earth’s Elaine Gilligan.
Professor Andy Morse addressed the audience first, presenting many of the facts and figures surrounding climate change, before bringing his argument neatly around to the moral commitment we all have to address climate change. Reverend Paul Bayes talked about how the faith community had always seen climate change as a key issue. He argued that there was no need for a balanced argument, as with the scientific proof of climate change alongside his own faith position, there could be no doubt that action is needed.
Following on from this, a short break presented an opportunity for the audience to write down questions for the panel, whilst also filling out Position Paper Questionnaires and pledging #GreenIn16 commitments for Merseyside Environmental Trust. What followed was a lively debate with many thought provoking arguments made on a variety of issues ranging from fracking, reducing consumption, corporation power, livestock emissions and what the panel personally do to reduce their impact.
Merseyside Environmental Trust would like to thank all who attended this event, as well as Liverpool Friends of the Earth, Elaine Gilligan, Professor Andy Morse and Reverend Paul Bayes.
2nd Annual Gary Mahoney Memorial Debate - Climate Crisis? How do we respond?
On Thursday 2nd June at The Adelphi Hotel in central Liverpool, Merseyside Environmental Trust alongside Liverpool Friends of the Earth presented the 2nd Annual Gary Mahoney Memorial Debate with the question being “Climate Crisis? How do we respond?”. After an introduction to the event by Frank Kennedy, including some heartfelt memories of Gary Mahoney, the debate panel of Professor Andy Morse and The Right Reverend Paul Bayes were introduced, along with the debate Chair, Friends of the Earth’s Elaine Gilligan.
Professor Andy Morse addressed the audience first, presenting many of the facts and figures surrounding climate change, before bringing his argument neatly around to the moral commitment we all have to address climate change. Reverend Paul Bayes talked about how the faith community had always seen climate change as a key issue. He argued that there was no need for a balanced argument, as with the scientific proof of climate change alongside his own faith position, there could be no doubt that action is needed.
Following on from this, a short break presented an opportunity for the audience to write down questions for the panel, whilst also filling out Position Paper Questionnaires and pledging #GreenIn16 commitments for Merseyside Environmental Trust. What followed was a lively debate with many thought provoking arguments made on a variety of issues ranging from fracking, reducing consumption, corporation power, livestock emissions and what the panel personally do to reduce their impact.
Merseyside Environmental Trust would like to thank all who attended this event, as well as Liverpool Friends of the Earth, Elaine Gilligan, Professor Andy Morse and Reverend Paul Bayes.