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At stuffy United Nations media briefings, in swanky halls and at sticky progressive celebrations, one word was on all minds at this year’s Climate Week NYC: affordability.

The American energy chief, 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 focus on renewable power’s ability to reduce power bills to secure elections. And supporters of the likely soon-to-be New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, promoted their initiatives to connect green policies with efforts to lower city residents’ rent and make transit affordable.

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

Now, as utility bills soar around the country, Americans on every part of the political spectrum are presenting their energy and climate plans as methods to safeguard ordinary people’s pocketbooks.

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In Focus

Every year, Climate Week in New York City brings together government officials, business representatives, experts and campaigners 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 campaign cast a significant shadow over the event. In speeches through the week, White House officials sought to peg its deregulatory agenda as a win to reduce Americans’ bills, with Trump calling green energy a “fraud” 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 statements as false while getting Americans on board with green policies on the basis that they can lower costs. For instance, two Democratic representatives, from Illinois and California, introduced a proposal to accelerate new power-line construction and reinstate green energy incentives which Trump canceled earlier this year. Its title: the Cheap Energy Act.

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

Those well to Granholm’s left also advocated a emphasis on affordability in the climate fight. But many demanded more far-reaching solutions that deliver more immediate benefits. Instead of merely tinkering with the tax code to encourage green technology expansion – a hallmark of Biden’s climate efforts – politicians should focus on less technical, “green economic populist” initiatives such as no-cost transit and the development of low-carbon public housing.

“These kinds of programs do have decarbonization benefits, but they’re highly important for starting to establish a mass base [who have] faith in public institutions and confidence in the government,” Batul Hassan, labor director at the progressive thinktank Climate and Community Institute, remarked at a panel.

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

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

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

“Some people talk about everyday folks, but then they make policies that are designed for the rich. We’ve been living with that frustration for a long time,” she said. “We need to focus on truly providing relief to people. And we see that when we really center people over profit, people respond to that. People can tell who is sincere.”

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