Huddersfield to Host Climate Crisis Screening One Year After Yorkshire Drought

Posted By: KLTV Adminon: May 30, 2026In: Environment, News

Reading Time: 2 minutes

By KLTV Newsdesk –

Community groups unite to spark local discussion on extreme weather and environmental change

Residents in Huddersfield are being invited to attend a public screening of a national “climate emergency briefing”, marking one year since Yorkshire experienced one of its driest periods on record.

The event, organised by a coalition of local environmental groups, aims to encourage conversation around the growing impact of climate change on communities across the UK. It will take place from 6 pm to 8 pm on Wednesday, 3 June at the Brian Jackson Fresh Futures Centre.

Organisers say the screening, followed by an open discussion, will help attendees better understand how climate change is linked to increasingly severe weather events.

Bringing a national briefing to local communities

The People’s Emergency Briefing is a film adapted from a major national event held at Westminster Central Hall in November 2025.

The original briefing brought together more than 1,200 MPs, peers and leaders from across UK public life to hear from leading climate experts.

The Huddersfield screening forms part of a wider nationwide programme designed to make information about the climate crisis more accessible at a local level.

The event is being organised by Greenpeace supporters in Huddersfield, Friends of the Earth, Extinction Rebellion, and the Kirklees Climate Commission. It is open to anyone with concerns about the changing climate, regardless of their prior knowledge of climate science.

Local councillors in Kirklees have also been invited to attend and engage with residents during the discussion.

Reflecting on a year of extreme weather

The screening comes after Yorkshire endured some of the driest conditions in over a century.

The region officially entered drought status last summer following its driest spring in 132 years.

Reservoir levels dropped significantly, prompting warnings of potential water shortages.

In July 2025, Yorkshire Water introduced hosepipe restrictions affecting more than five million people, citing exceptionally low rainfall and declining water reserves.

The prolonged hot and dry conditions also contributed to a severe wildfire season, with fire services across the UK responding to hundreds of incidents. West Yorkshire was among the areas impacted, with large moorland fires reported during periods of extreme heat.

Alan Rhodes from Huddersfield Greenpeace, who is among the organisers, said: “One year on from hosepipe bans and wildfires across Yorkshire, many people are beginning to realise that extreme weather is affecting our communities here and now.

“We want this event to give people a chance to come together, understand what is driving these changes, and talk openly about what can be done locally in response.”

Broadcaster and environmental campaigner Chris Packham, who opened the initial national briefing last November, said: “I’d encourage people everywhere to attend a screening of The People’s Emergency Briefing.

“It creates exactly the kind of honest local conversation we now urgently need, both about what these changes mean where we live, and about what we can do together to address them.”