If an online petition that calls on Bega Valley Shire Council to declare a climate emergency is accepted by council, the young activist who started it believes it will send a strong message across the country.
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"I think that will have a ripple effect in inspiring other councils and people," the petition's creator Dominique Turville of Mogareeka said.
"Even though we are a small Valley, we still have a voice and can encourage others to take action."
The petition states if BVSC took action on the climate crisis it would send an emphatic message to state and federal leaders as well as other councils emergency action was needed to protect people's futures, with Dominique saying it was pivotal to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
If council supported the motion to declare a climate emergency that will be submitted to its meeting along with the petition later this year it will be among numerous councils around the world to do so.
In Australia, the 23 councils that have recognised the movement so far include those in Newcastle, Fremantle and the Blue Mountains, and this week Australian Local Government Association's National General Assembly supported a motion for the federal government to declare such an emergency, although this was still to be formally accepted by the association.
Dominique said after starting the petition in May as a response to the initial cross-generational climate mobilisation meeting held in Bega following the recent federal election, it was now close to reaching 2000 signatures.
"It's actually really inspiring and lovely," the 17-year-old said.
"It's very supportive and comforting to know there's so many people who do care and want to make a difference."
She was hoping to get 10 per cent of the shire's population to add their signatures - youth in particular as they will be impacted by the effects of global warming in the future.
"We're going to be living on this earth, it's the start of the end of the world pretty much," she said.
"But it's for everyone to decide upon and change so we can keep on living."
While youth in the Bega Valley have already shown themselves to be concerned about the issue through multiple strikes, council does not accept signatures on petitions from under 18 year olds, with Dominique saying "but that's the whole point".
"This petition is about the young people, our opinions and what we demand from the Bega Valley Shire Council," she said.
"If they say 'no this isn't acceptable because all these people are under 18', that is just dismissing their futures."
To sign the petition for BVSC, click here. A printed version will be placed in shops around the Bega Valley.
United Nations report
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations body, states human activities have been estimated to have already caused about one degree Celsius of global warming above pre-industrial levels, while warming is likely to reach 1.5 degrees by 2052 if it continued to increase at the current rate.
It states climate-related risks to aspects of life such as health, livelihoods, food security, water supply, human security and economic growth will likely increase with global warming of 1.5 degrees.