Finding Common Ground on Climate Change in the New Congress .

For climate change advocates, the November mid-term elections have shifted the move from Congress to federal agencies, the courts and the states.

Illustrating this change are two key issues to follow this year. First, all eyes will be on California as it begins to enforce the country's first cap-and-trade law to cut greenhouse gas emissions.Second, a federal court last month upheld the U.S.

EPA's ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and the organization has promised to go ahead on regulating emissions first with utilities, before widening the background later this year. Organizations such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have sworn to continue litigation, and Congressional Republicans have signaled their trust to try to break the government from proceeding with this regulation.

Though advancement of the environmental agenda is moving beyond Capitol Hill, public funding for a cleaner environment remains high. According to an August poll by National Journal and Pew Research, nearly two-thirds of Americans still favor some case of climate change legislation that places limits on greenhouse gas emissions. A substantial majority of newly-elected members, however, have little hope to gain any case of legislation that could be labelled as "climate change."

Can climate change supporters find common land in this new Congress?

A cleaner environment should not be a partisan issue, but two changes must have home for climate change advocates and policymakers to see common base in this new Congress. Supporters must identify incremental steps that enjoy bipartisan support and change the ways in which they pass this matter to Congress and to the public.On this final point, I offer four suggestions to help redefine this argument so that a bipartisan consensus could emerge in this Congress.

Whether one believes in the science behind climate change or if humans contribute to global warming is unimportant. Instead, advocates for a cleaner environment should stop using phrases such as "global warming" or "climate change" to identify any legislation that advances a cleaner environment. As we've seen, these phrases have but served to polarize this debate.

Second, tie this agenda directly to job creation.The rapid motion of the world economy toward cleaner energy has become confounded in the energy debate in this country. Additionally, China is emerging as the world's largest clean technology provider. The U.S. should not miss out on this chance to make good, long-term green jobs that keep this emerging global market.

Third, link a clean energy economy to energy security. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration in 2009, more than half of U.S. crude oil and oil imports come from countries that either have unstable governments or are unfriendly to U.S. interests. As farsighted as that remains the case, the U.S. will preserve to be open to volatile changes in energy costs and potentially unreliable sources of oil.

Finally, while the greenhouse gas emission reductions that clean technology provides are well documented, supporters should start highlighting the other benefits of using this technology - namely, that clean technology helps companies reduce energy costs, increase productivity and work smarter. In other words, increased use of clean technology helps U.S. companies better compete in a world economy.

Green is neither a low or red state issue. Climate change advocates can find common base in this new Congress if they tie their schedule to issues that better resonate with the American public. Words matter in this argument and the lingua franca for this Relation is job world and energy security.

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