Members of Futuring Orange wore red to the meeting and bore signs - addressing the council, Tom Seiler said while declaring an emergency was symbolic, it was a pragmatic response as the price of energy rose.

"[There's] threats like the rising costs of food production that makes our restaurants absorb it and eat into their margins or pass it onto consumers, pricing out even more patrons," he said.

Councillor Stephen Nugent, who raised the motion, said the projected rise in the Calare electorate by 2050 was 4.5 degrees.

"We will no longer have winters as we known them now, it will be dominated by extreme heat," he said.

A number of councillors questioned the impact a declaration would make given it had already been passed at the Australian Local Government Conference last week and it was up to the state and federal governments to act in a meaningful way.

Councillor Tony Mileto said removing Australia's carbon contribution would only take out 0.001 per cent globally.

Fellow councillor Glenn Taylor said he could not support a motion without knowing the full cost implications, while mayor Reg Kidd pointed out the council had been working to reduce its environmental footprint for decades, from recycling, constructing wetlands and providing education in schools to the activities of the environmental sustainability committee and Landcare groups.

"It's unfair to say nothing's being done," he said.

"I would love to see more people come forward and get involved in those advisory committees."

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