Organised by the Bega Valley Greens, the festival will bring together a broad cross-section of local community groups to call for strong and decisive action on climate change from world leaders meeting at the Paris summit.

It will also celebrate the progress the local community has made in tackling global warming through grassroots projects such as Clean Energy for Eternity’s Tathra solar farm.

Reaching across political lines, the day of action will start at 11am in Ayres Walkway, Bega with a Fling hip hop dance performance.

Following this, there will be a community walk to Bega River Reserve and a welcome to country by Aunty Colleen Dixon of the Djirringan nation before a family picnic and performances. 

The festival will feature music from Candelo musicians Pete Wild, Kate Burke and Mike Martin as well as other acts.

Speakers include Matthew Nott of Clean Energy for Eternity, Dorte Planert from One Million Women, as well as The Greens’ candidate for Eden-Monaro Tamara Ryan and ALP Eden-Monaro candidate Mike Kelly.

“The Climate Action Festival is a huge opportunity for our community to stand up and call for a sustainable future and a clean economy that has the needs of the people at its centre,” Ms Ryan said.

“We must demand our leaders meet the challenge of climate change head on.

“If we are committed to preserving our way of life for my generation and the next, we need to step up.

“Both economically, ecologically and socially, the current Australian carbon emission targets are nowhere near good enough.” 

The day of action, in the lead up to the UN Paris climate summit, will join Bega Valley with communities across the nation and the world marching in solidarity to demand governments, including our own, take much stronger action to combat climate change.