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During stuffy United Nations media briefings, in swanky auditoriums and at sticky progressive dance parties, one word was on everyone’s lips at this year’s Climate Week NYC: affordability.

The US energy secretary, Chris Wright, stated that under President Trump the United States is “reverting to practical energy policies that focus on affordability”. The former energy secretary, Jennifer Granholm, emphasized Democrats must center on renewable power’s capacity to shrink power bills to win elections. And advocates of the almost certainly future New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, promoted their efforts to connect green policies with actions to cut city residents’ rent and ensure transit affordable.

The attempt to tie daily cost issues to climate change is longstanding. The concept was a key part of the progressive climate plan, a progressive policy platform popularized by youth-led climate group the Sunrise Movement and New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2018. Joe Biden picked up the approach in the White House, calling his signature green carbon-cutting policy the Inflation Reduction Act, from 2022.

Now, as utility bills rise around the country, Americans on all sides of the ideological divide are presenting their energy and climate plans as methods to protect ordinary people’s finances.

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Spotlight

Every year, Climate Week in New York City brings together government officials, business representatives, scholars and activists for a wide range of environment-centered events, timed to coincide with the United Nations general assembly.

This year, the Trump administration’s anti-environmental blitz cast a massive shadow over the event. In appearances through the week, White House officials aimed to peg its deregulatory agenda as a victory to lower Americans’ bills, with Trump labeling green energy a “scam” and Wright saying: “The more people have gotten into so-called climate action, the more expensive their energy has become.”

Environmental supporters worked to reveal those claims as false while persuading Americans to support with green policies on the basis that they can cut costs. For instance, two Democratic representatives, from Illinois and California, unveiled a proposal to accelerate new power-line construction and reinstate green energy incentives which Trump canceled earlier this year. Its name: the Cheap Energy Act.

It’s a strategy that Jennifer Granholm, who acted as US energy secretary under Biden, noted she anticipated as climate slips down the list of political concerns for Americans, while financial anxieties rise. “My guess is you’re not going to see a lot of politicians using the word ‘climate’, because people see that as a nice-to-have [concern], not a must-have, and right now they’re in the critical mode,” she told reporters over avocado toast one morning. “Affordability is crucial.”

Those significantly Granholm’s left also called for a focus on affordability in the climate fight. But many demanded more far-reaching solutions that deliver more quick benefits. Instead of merely tinkering with the tax code to encourage green technology expansion – a signature of Biden’s climate efforts – politicians should prioritize less wonky, “green economic populist” initiatives such as no-cost transit and the development of decarbonized public housing.

“These kinds of programs do have emissions-reduction benefits, but they’re extremely important for starting to build up a broad support [who have] trust in public institutions and confidence in the government,” Batul Hassan, labor director at the progressive thinktank Climate and Community Institute, said at a panel.

Mamdani, the left-wing who achieved a stunning win in the New York City mayoral primary this summer, represents this kind of agenda, said Hassan. On Wednesday of Climate Week, activists gathered for a celebration at the legendary Sounds of Brazil music venue to honor the candidate’s success.

“It has long been recognized that if we’re going to build a mass movement, people need to see the link between the transition to renewable energy and spending less money,” New York City comptroller Brad Lander said in an interview at the party, speaking over the beat of Charli xcx.

Communication is critical, but merely speaking about affordability is insufficient, Alexa Avilés, a New York City council member and progressive, told the Guardian at the Mamdani event. Trump, for instance, has not delivered to deliver on his promise of reducing bills as handing massive benefits to oil giants and other corporations. And many Democrats are also culpable of favoring their business backers’ interests, Avilés said.

“Some people speak about everyday folks, but then they make policies that are designed for the rich. We’ve been living with that disappointment for a long time,” she said. “We need to concentrate on truly providing relief to people. And we see that when we really prioritize people over profit, people react to that. People can discern who is for real.”

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