On Monday, the Brazilian government ratified its participation in the Paris Agreement on climate change, Peter Prengaman reports for The Associated Press. Prengaman writes that Brazil’s joining is “a significant step by Latin America’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases that could spur other countries to move forward.”

Brazil, the world’s seventh largest emitter of greenhouse gases, emits about 2.5 percent of the world’s polluting gases, according to United Nations data.

“Our government is concerned about the future,” said President Michel Temer during a signing ceremony in Brasilia. “Everything we do today is not aimed at tomorrow, but rather at a future that preserves the living conditions of Brazilians.”

Temer also announced that Brazil’s ratification would be presented formally to the United Nations later this month, at a ceremony in New York on the morning of September 21. The event, convened by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, urges countries to deposit their instruments of ratification or make commitments to formally join the agreement before the end of the year.