(CNN) -- President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping just announced a major agreement to cut carbon emissions in both countries and tackle global warming over the coming decades. As the news site Vox puts it, "This is a big deal." It's a big deal for citizens of both countries who will literally breathe easier due to reduced pollution. It's a big deal for the future of our planet. And it's even a big deal for Republicans, who had used inaction on the part of China to justify not doing anything about climate change here at home. And yet Republican leaders, many of whom remain inexplicably skeptical of the conclusive science about climate change, insist they will use their new congressional majority to try to obstruct clean air and water regulations enacted by the Environmental Protection Agency. For added measure, they will try to force President Obama to approve the construction of the Keystone pipeline extension. They will, apparently, be joined by centrist Democrats like Sen. Mary Landrieu, facing a tough run-off election for her seat in Louisiana in December.
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Sally Kohn: The U.S.-China agreement to cut carbon emissions is a big deal
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Kohn: Republicans need to wake up to the fact that global warming is real and man-made
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She says the Keystone XL pipeline would be bad for climate and U.S. economy
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Kohn: GOP shouldn't treat climate change as partisan football and set U.S. behind
Meanwhile, as @placeholder bury their heads in the sand, China has an eye toward the future.