Facing our Future #1: Be Prepared

In June 2026, a small group of us got together to talk about the impact of the climate emergency. We had been to a showing of the People's Emergency Briefing and had felt that an appropriate response to what we had seen and heard would be to meet as a community of like-minded people to prepare for what is to come.

Here's a summary of what we discussed to give you a flavour of the conversation.

We started with that old ice breaker that you're probably familiar with: 

If your house was on fire and you could save three things (not people and pets), what would you grab?

I went for my violin, some photos and my phone.

Next, we reflected on what keeps us awake at night, what scares us most about the climate emergency. 

Here's a summary of what we wrote down in no particular order...

1. Societal breakdown

• Lack of sharing in society
• A lot of hate
• society fragmenting into groups who don't want to live with each other
• tribalism
• resource wars
• very right wing government
• extremism
• breakdown of law and order
• continued wars
• influx of people seeking refuge as their homes become uninhabitable
• difficult for future generations (grandchildren)
  
• people attacking other people for food etc
• the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer

2. Nature

• little nature left for future generations
• plagues of pests caused by imbalance in biodiversity

3. Transport

• lack of transport to go long distances

4. Weather

• extreme weather
• extreme heat
• if the Gulf Stream stops, Britain will become Siberia
• AMOC collapse
• more wet and cold weather

5. Waste

• how to dispose of so much waste
• so much pollution

6. Tech

• an irreversible accident that will kill us all
• the AI revolution changes what it means to be a human being

7. Resources

• food shortages
• not enough drinking water
• rationing of everything
• intermittent/irregular electricity

8. Health

• another pandemic
• medication running out
• breakdown of NHS
• polluted air - can't breathe properly
• disease
• antibiotic resistance

Do any of these resonate for you? What would you have written? What did we miss?

As you might imagine, that left us in quite a heightened state of anxiety so we then shared the things we do to calm ourselves. 

Here were the ideas we came up with:

• talk to God or something outside of ourselves
• cry/release emotions somehow
• do something. Just do something. Anything to distract yourself.
• create something somehow
• exercise/walking
• dystopian films/fiction
• do breathing exercises in the night
• listen to a podcast
• get out in nature

Again, what do you do to calm and ground yourself when you find yourself getting anxious?

We also talked about being as prepared as we can be and had a look through this government guide 'How would you prepare for an emergency?'.which included this -

Put together an emergency kit of items at home
This could include:

Battery or wind-up torch – torches are safer than candles.
Portable power bank for charging your mobile phone.
Battery or wind-up radio to get updates during a power cut – a car radio can be used, however in severe weather it might be safer to stay inside. 
Spare batteries for torches and radio and a backup battery for any medical equipment you rely on.
A first aid kit (or some first aid items) including items such as waterproof plasters, bandages, a thermometer, antiseptic, eyewash solution, sterile dressings and gloves, medical tape for dressings, and tweezers.
Hand sanitiser and wet wipes for hygiene purposes when the water is off.
Bottled water – there is no standard figure for this as emergencies can vary in duration and people use different amounts. A minimum of 2.5-3 litres of drinking water per person per day is recommended by the World Health Organisation for survival. 10 litres per person per day will make you more comfortable by also providing for basic cooking and hygiene needs. Additional water might be needed to make up baby formula, for medical devices and for pets.
Non-perishable food that doesn’t need cooking, such as ready-to-eat tinned meat, fruit or vegetables (and a tin opener). As with water, how much you need will vary based on your own circumstances. Don’t forget food for pets.
Baby supplies such as nappies and baby formula – ready made or ‘ready-to-feed’ formula is best as you may not be able to boil water or sterilise bottles.
Rather than buying all the items at once, you could just add to your emergency kit when you are able and build it up over time.

That's a great place to start in getting prepared.

All of this is very unsettling. We naturally don't want to think about what can go wrong and may go wrong and what we would have to do if it did.

We ended with a meditation to calm ourselves before leaving. This is similar to the one we did on the night that you might find helpful.

A Meditation for the Climate Emergency

Grounding:  Settle in a comfortable position. Take a deep breath. Feel the weight of your body in contact with the chair or floor and the earth beneath you.

Acknowledging difficult emotions: The climate emergency can bring up a mix of emotions: anxiety, anger, grief, helplessness, or numbness. Allow whatever you're feeling to exist without judgement. Do not try to push it away or fix it in this moment. Breathe into these feelings.

Connecting to nature: Think about a specific place in nature that you love. Visualise this place. Hear the sounds. As you breathe in, imagine drawing strength from the resilience of the Earth. As you breathe out, offer a sense of gratitude and back to it.

Cultivating Active Hope:  Think of all the people around the globe who share your love for this wonderful world and are working to protect it. Ask yourself quietly: What is my small, meaningful part to play?

Returning to the Present: Bring your awareness back to your breath, your body and the room around you. 

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