Media reports have confirmed that President Obama and Premier Xi Jinping of China will sign the Paris Agreement on climate change on April 22. The United Nations accord will be open for the first time for government signatures on that day.

The announcement has come as a statement of joint resolve by the two biggest greenhouse gas emitters in the world, though it is doubtful that whether the United States will be able to meet its obligations mentioned in the agreement.

The Supreme Court provisionally blocked an Obama administration regulation in February to limit the greenhouse gases emission from power plants, the main focus of climate change policy brought up by President Obama and the main way through which the administration can meet its targets staying within the limits set by the Paris accord.

The announcement from the two world leaders was made in Washington during the sidelines of a nuclear security meeting.

President Obama told reporters at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, “Our cooperation and our joint statements were critical in arriving at Paris agreement, and our two countries have agreed that we will not only sign the agreement on first day possible, but we’re committing to formally join it as soon as possible this year”. Obama was there for a meeting with Mr. Xi at the nuclear gathering.

President Obama added that they request other nations to follow their footsteps and do the same. While speaking through an interpreter, Mr. Xi said that being the two largest economies, China and the US must work together.

Reached in December 2015, the Paris Agreement is the first ever worldwide accord to commit almost every country to take domestic actions to deal with the major issue of climate change. For the accord promotion, the United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon, has scheduled the signing ceremony for Earth Day that is April 22, though world leaders will get time of a year after that to sign.