At the beginning of this year, the Government quietly released the bombshell Global Biodiversity Loss, Ecosystem Collapse and National Security Report.
On 3 September, there will be a Westminster Hall debate on Biodiversity Loss. This will be the first time Andy Burnham’s cabinet will answer the key questions on climate and nature in a debate.
The Westminster Hall debate will be led by Adrian Ramsey MP to be held on the 3rd of September, will determine how climate and nature breakdown should be addressed as a national security threat. This summer so far has demonstrated exactly why this debate is more important than ever: intense heatwaves, rapidly spreading wildfires, increasing pressure on social infrastructure and concerns over harvests are just some of the most visible impacts of the current crisis. This requires local support, such as ensuring your MP is there on September 3rd to discuss the latest intelligence on the risks of climate and nature breakdown.
Why the Joint Intellegence Committee Report Matters
The report on Biodiverisity loss could not have been clearer despite its delay in publishing and its redacted release: nature underpins the very essence of national security, requiring immediate action to assess how nature loss and ecosystem collapse will continue to threaten all matters of security. This year, 2,877 people in Britain have died from heat-related causes, the dry and hot summer is costing farmers as much as £390 million in lost revenue and the potential of a super El Niño could influence winter weather patterns. These are not risks far in the future. They are occurring in hospitals, fields and homes right now. Against the backdrop of these immediate crises, the JIC report is crucial for treating ecological breakdown as a direct threat to national and international stability.
The Debate
On September 3rd, Adrian Ramsey MP will lead an examination of the findings of the JIC report on climate and nature risks that was published January 20, 2026. The science highlights cascading risks: worsening degradation, migration and resource competition could become an ever widening reality in worst case scenarios of our reliance on the environment without preparing for the future. The JIC debate is set to examine the latest intelligence on climate and nature risks and determine whether the UK is prepared for the risks ahead. Adrian Ramsey MP (Green Party), has called on the government to recognise nature as a rights-bearing entity, working urgently to protect, restore and regenerate the systems on which we depend. By bringing the JIC’s assessment of biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and national security before Parliament, Ramsey is asking for a wider recognition of how environmental collapse is not a niche environmental issue but a fundamentally interconnected security challenge.
Caroline Lucas is Asking Questions that Westminster Won’t
In her investigative podcast series for The Rest is Politics’ When Nature Becomes a Security Threat, Caroline Lucas highlights that the JIC report concludes that climate change, biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse are not solely environmental challenges. They are emerging threats to the UK’s national security, public safety and economic resilience. Starkly, the report, in its truncated and redacted form, warns that food security is amongst the UK’s greatest vulnerabilities. Not only does this threaten increasing food prices, but also the possibility of food insecurity. Probing at the questions that Westminster won’t, Lucas, in conversation with Paul Behrens, Richard Nugee and Arthur Snell, warns that keeping the intelligence assessments out of the public eye limits wide understanding of the scale of the risks to national security which only becomes visible once they begin to affect people’s everyday lives.
From Intelligence Assessments to Public Briefings
In the Britain’s Ticking Time Bomb: The Food Security Crisis episode of Caroline Lucas’ series, Dr Paul Behrens shared how there is understanding by intelligence officials and the government that climate and nature collapse is serious national security risk for the UK; yet, the government is not making these challenges visible to the public as they will be then required to enact adequate policies and take action to combat nature loss and environmental collapse which is not at the heart of their agenda.
This is the idea driving the National Emergency Briefing which outlines the escalating climate and nature crisis whilst offering a call to action for leaders and the public to not delay action. Thousands of people have held People Emergency Briefing screenings up and down the UK calling for a televised briefing on the science of the climate and nature crisis and September’s debate is a vital opportunity to make sure your MP is there to discuss the latest intelligence on the risks of climate and nature breakdown. The 50-minute film presented by Chris Packham aims to ensure that the latest evidence on climate and nature change is shared openly with the public, in contrast to the redacted publication of the report on biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and nation security. Accessibility and transparency mark crucial steps in ensuring that the risks of current crises are not understated, or confined to policymakers but are available to everyone.
This Summer: Bringing the Science to Public Attention
Food security and heat stress emerge as some of the greatest challenges to date that we have experienced this summer. The UK’s food systems are heavily dependent on imports, where over 80% of our fruit, and roughly 50% of our vegetables are imported. Heat extremes bring wildfires, droughts, and food insecurity, making environmental breakdown a serious matter of national security. These are not isolated problems. They affect national resilience, household food and energy prices and the ability of the UK to withstand future shocks. This is why the September 3rd debate needs every MP in the room. This is not simply an environmental discussion but the debate underpins the future of national security in the UK, and Parliament has a responsibility to treat it with the urgency it deserves.
What You Can Do Now: Take Action
The debate on September 3rd is just the beginning of the conversation. As a potential new heatwave is on its way, with South-east England set to see temperatures above 30 degrees celsius in the coming weeks, the science is becoming clearer and the timing is more crucial than ever. Write to your MP to ask them to attend the debate and speak up on the JIC report and respond to these warnings in what has so far been a summer of many extremes.
