For too long our leaders have been kicking the can down the road and delaying policies that could slow emissions or mitigate their effects. In our local communities here on the Far South Coast we are already experiencing worsening impacts through devastating fires, extended fire seasons and worsening drought. We are now in a time of climate emergency, and in the absence of national leadership, it's our local communities that will have to force the required changes. Revolutions in the history of mankind have always been bottom up, not top down, and this one will be no different. We already have the technologies we need to change, and we need our local councils, media, business and residents to make it happen. I hope that the motion before council succeeds and that Bega Valley follows suit. The Narooma News editorial is a great example of how media can stand up and help lead this process. Our young people need hope, not despair ... so thank you Narooma News.

What Emergency? There is no observed experimental data which proves the changes in climate are not natural, nor that humans have had any significant effect on climate! Big changes have occurred in the past without human actions. Is 0.13 deg C per decade rise in global temperatures over the last 40 years enough to notice? Is a sea-level rise of less than 2 mm/year over the last century or more to worry about? Droughts, heat waves, bush-fires and floods have happened before and will again whatever humans do. Unproven computer projection do not make them happen, they only scare people.

Our climate crisis is caused by us humans creating too much change to the environmental balance of our planet. We can all do our bit in our own way by consuming less and recycling more. We need to act locally to protect our region so as to reduce the economic, social and environmental costs associated with climate change.

Good onya Pat! Given how slowly the human race evolves to accommodate changes to its environment, climate change has to be declared as an emergency to get any action at all. The ostriches will keep their heads down and hope it goes away. It won't.

I am interested that the ESC is planning to waste time debating the declaration of a "Climate Emergency".

There is nothing that anyone in Eurobodalla, or even the whole of Australia, can do that will make a material change to the world's climate. If the climate is changing and whatever the cause we should be concerned only with dealing with any consequences of such change

Thus far there is precious little evidence of anything happening at all. We have waited 40 years for the oceans to rise and have endured punitive measures by the council on anyone living within cooee of the coast. All to achieve nothing but distress and disruption to our residents while the waves lap gently away with little change.

While every variation in the weather is declared to be the result of climate change, we continue to enjoy the same weather that people in Australia have experienced for millennia; drought and flooding rains. The current phase of dry winters and damp summers in our area is just another turn of the cyclical patterns of weather which are there to be seen in the records.

So I trust that this debate will be concerned merely with prudent measures to cope with whatever occurs in the future and not seek to impose more restrictions on residents based upon unscientific and irrational suppositions regarding what Councilors believe may happen.

Councillor Pat McGinlay, you have my full support.

We must look at how we as a community set about real change, become a role model and benchmark for other councils. Let's get the ball rolling and get the whole community on board. Our local schools are a great way to get children to start right now. Education is the key to change.

Even conservatives are coming around to accepting that it IS an emergency, like a war effort, in which everyone has to do their part, LGA councillors included. Good on you, Pat.

Fundraising whilst learning a pole dance routine, playing Aussie Rules and working full-time was very challenging, but absolutely worth it!

I would like to thank everyone who donated money to my Everydayhero page in the lead up to the Stars of Eurobodalla Dance for Cancer. I thank all the businesses who donated goods for the trivia night at the Moruya Bowling Club and a massive THANK YOU to the club, which donated more than expected and made the trivia night a hit; it was rowdy and fun with plenty of belly-laughs. Grant's effort at the bowlo helped raise a total of $1700 for the Cancer Council. This helped me crack well beyond my goal of $3000. In total, $4382 from my Everydayhero page contributed to the $52,000 which the event raised. Well done to all the dancers and thank you to the community for supporting us.