U.S., China Cooperating On Climate Change : NPR

Daniel Ellis is president of Climate Master, an Oklahoma-based company that made the Future House's geothermal heat pumps. He said U.S.-China cooperation could help the Obama administration overcome opposition from climate change skeptics.

"To get the U.S. Congress to pass climate change legislation, they have to see that there's international cooperation going to happen," he said. "Because if we adopt this on our own, and other major burgeoning economies like China don't come along for the ride, they're going to be really reluctant to have the U.S. adopt it on their own."

At a Thursday press conference Locke emphasized that China's leadership is committed to reducing its carbon footprint.

"The Chinese are taking unprecedented measures," he said. "They are a model for developing countries around the world, and should be applauded."

U.S. and China Agree to Study Ways to Make Buildings More Energy-Efficient - NYTimes.com

By emphasizing that China is taking action, even as it continues to build a large coal-fired plant each week, Mr. Chu and Mr. Locke might make it more palatable for Congress to consider an agreement from Copenhagen that includes fewer limits on the emissions of developing countries than have been sought.

Too wet, chilly to seed - Winnipeg Free Press

Springtime flooding and cool, wet weather at planting time caused 420,000 acres of Manitoba farmland to go unseeded this year, triggering $21.5 million in insurance payments to farmers.
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A cold spring and summer has meant that crop development throughout the Prairies is 10 days to two weeks behind normal, the wheat board's Bruce Burnett said.

That has increased the chances of a late harvest and possible frost damage for some crops. Meanwhile, crops that thrive on heat, such as corn, will find their yield potential affected by the cool temperatures, said Burnett, the CWB's director of weather and market analysis.