In December 2015, at the Paris climate change conference CoP 21, nearly 200 countries agreed to keep the rise in global temperatures, compared to pre-industrial levels, well below 2°C to fight global warming.

Today, April 22, which marks the annual celebration of Earth Day, will be the first day that nations will officially sign the Paris agreement during a high-level ceremony to be held at the United Nations headquarters in New York. Already, more than 130 nations have announced their intent to attend the signing ceremony.

Most importantly, on March 31, US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that both their countries would not only sign the agreement on April 22, but would work to ratify the agreement as early as this year. The US and China are the world’s two biggest greenhouse gas emitters, together accounting for approximately 40 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.

In addition, other major emitters are also taking steps to ratify the agreement as quickly as possible. On April 7, the BASIC group — which includes Brazil, South Africa, India and China — released a statement saying that the countries “look forward to signing the Paris Agreement on April 22, 2016 during the high-level signature ceremony convened by the Secretary-General of the United Nations” and that they “expressed their will to initiate necessary domestic processes for ratification, acceptance or approval as soon as possible.”

In order for the Paris agreement to enter into force, when key provisions of the agreement would become binding, at least 55 countries, responsible for at least 55 percent of global emissions, have to sign the agreement and indicate their consent to join and be bound by its Parties.

Thus, this year’s Earth Day could be a key moment in history if all the nations attending the ceremony sign the agreement. This will be a great start and big push for the agreement to enter into force and it will be the first multilateral treaty in history to enter into force on the day it opens for signature.

Needless to say, countries as well as private sector companies around the world are already taking serious steps toward investment in low carbon economy technologies, especially in renewable energy. According to a UN report released in March 2016, the world invested $286 billion in green energy in 2015.

Once the agreement is ratified, the more difficult tasks for countries will begin. That will include initiating actions, drawing up policies and mobilizing investments in various sectors, especially energy, transport and agriculture, to shift toward a low-emissions economy. Earth Day or International Mother Earth Day is an annual event that is observed on April 22 every year. On this day, events are held worldwide to demonstrate support for environmental protection. It was first celebrated in 1970.

The Earth Day theme for this year is focused on trees with the aim of mobilizing nearly eight billion plantings, or one for every man, woman and child alive by 2020.

The link between the Paris Agreement and trees is clear — forests will be key allies in combating climate change and meeting the long-term goal of restoring the ecological balance of planet Earth by the second half of the century.

Trees and forests are also crucial in efforts to meet the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) given their role is absorbing carbon; cleaning and cooling the air; acting as natural water pumps to sustain river flows; stabilizing soils; protecting against strong winds; recycling nutrients for agriculture; and supporting habitats for wildlife.

In addition, trees play a key role in many industries such as construction, paper, furniture, and medicine. Thus, trees help communities achieve long-term economic and environmental sustainability and provide food, energy, and income.

In Islamic culture, planting trees is one of the greatest good deeds that man can do in his life for sustainable development. For instance, Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said thus on the importance and benefits of planting trees: “If time comes and it is the Day of Judgment and one of you has seedlings in his hand and is able to plant it, he should do so.”

If countries fulfill its promises and sign the Paris Agreement on April 22, it will send a powerful signal that the world is fully committed to a low carbon future and that the transition to a low-carbon economy is now unstoppable.

However, one must say that shifting towards a low carbon economy will not happen overnight, it is a long journey that can start on April 22. In the medium term, the world will continue to be dependent on oil and gas, one of the main sources of energy internationally. Currently, according to the IEA, oil and gas represent around 53 percent of the total global primary energy supply. This means that oil-rich countries have a good window of opportunity to use the wealth from oil and gas for investments in developing renewables technology.

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The writer is the Sustainability Research Program Manager at the Gulf Research Center.