When international leaders meet in Paris on Monday to negotiate the next global climate agreement, residents of the Illawarra will take part in a worldwide rally for action.
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The People’s Climate March is following up on last year’s event when organisers say almost 700,000 people took part in actions around the world calling for action on climate change.
This included 250 people in the Illawarra, and organisers are hoping for larger crowds this year as more than 2000 events have been organised worldwide.
The Wollongong Climate Action Network (WCAN) is organising the local rally, which starts at the amphitheatre steps in Wollongong’s Crown St Mall at 9.30am.
After speeches, the group will march along Crown St to Wollongong train station, from where a “fossil-free train” has been organised to take people up to Sydney to take part in the afternoon march in the Domain.
The fossil-free train is so named because, while it runs on electricity, largely from coal or gas, organisers are purchasing carbon offsets to the value of the emissions produced by that trip.
WCAN member Tom Hunt said the Wollongong event was for people who could not make it up to Sydney but wanted to make a statement on the global rallying day.
“The increase in natural disasters and unusual weather patterns demonstrates the impact of climate change we are seeing already and the need to take action now,” Mr Hunt said.
