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Shell says it's leaving the Arctic (at least for now). -

After spending $7 billion on the drilling endeavor, the company did find oil and gas off the coast of Alaska this summer but apparently not enough to make the (many) risks worthwhile. To the joy of environmentalists who have been protesting the project from its outset, the oil giant is abandoning its well in the Chukchi Sea "for the foreseeable future." New York Times

The Clean Air Act added years to the life spans of Americans. -

A new analysis shows how improvements in air quality since 1970 have affected life expectancy in cities across the country. In Los Angeles, for example, the average person now lives a year and eight months longer—and in New York and Chicago: two years! New York Times

China says it will launch a national cap-and-trade system by 2017. -

The program will allow the world's biggest carbon emitter to put a price on pollution and provide incentives for using clean energy. As Chinese President Xi Jinping continues his U.S. visit today, the two countries are expected to announce a number of other climate agreements that build on last November's historic dealMother Jones

Offshore wind is coming to the Jersey Shore. -

As part of President Obama's Climate Action Plan, the U.S. Department of the Interior says it will auction off 344,000 acres of ocean for wind development off the coast of Atlantic City. The process is a slow one, though, so start placing your bets on when those turbines will be up and spinning. Climate Central

All Singapore schools are closed today because of air pollution. -

Smoke from neighboring (but not-so-neighborly) Indonesia's slash-and-burn practices is engulfing the country in a thick haze, making the air unsafe to breathe. Reuters

Volkswagen's cheat produced tons of added pollution. -

The automaker has admitted its emissions-testing scandal affected 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide, which may mean the cars released a million more tons of pollution per year than previously thought—much of it likely in Europe, where diesel engines are more popular. The Guardian