China and the United States are responsible for about 45% of the world’s greenhouse gases, so it’s a big deal when the two countries strike a deal to cap carbon emissions and dramatically increase the use of non-fossil fuels. (Someone better get a message to all those folks in the market for a new Hummer.)

+ James Fallows: “This new agreement does not mean that next year’s global climate negotiations in Paris will succeed. But it means they are no longer guaranteed to fail.”

+ During the APEC meetings in Beijing, China essentially turned everything off for about six days. And what a difference it made. Check out these amazing shots of Beijing’s anti-pollution face-lift.