GODERICH, ONT. -- Goderich town council unanimously decided to declare a “climate emergency” on Monday, joining thousands of other communities around the world.

The town has also agreed to join national and provincial organizations to find existing templates to attain the community's climate goals.

Jim Hollingworth, with the environmental organization Green Goderich, says, “This is certainly the kind of progressive municipal legistaltion and leadership that we need from our local councils and civic leaders.”

The shoreline town joins over 1,000 jurisdictions in 25 countries who declared a climate emergency in the past two years.

The movement is designed to force cities and towns to acknowledge the changing climate and come up local plans to deal with it.

The declaration comes as the town spends over $1 million to reinforce parts of their shoreline from high winds and near record lake levels that have caused extensive damage along the town’s shoreline.