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During formal 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, said that under President Trump the United States is “returning to commonsense energy policies that focus on affordability”. The previous energy secretary, Jennifer Granholm, emphasized Democrats must focus on renewable power’s capacity to reduce power bills to secure elections. And advocates of the likely future New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, trumpeted their efforts to connect green policies with actions to cut city residents’ rent and make transit cost-effective.

The attempt to tie daily cost issues to climate change is not new. The concept was a key part of the Green New Deal, a progressive policy platform popularized by young climate group the Sunrise Movement and New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2018. Joe Biden adopted the approach in the White House, naming his signature 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 proposals as ways to safeguard everyday citizens’ pocketbooks.

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In Focus

Every year, Climate Week in New York City unites public leaders, business representatives, experts and activists for a wide range of climate-focused events, timed to align with the United Nations general assembly.

This year, the Trump administration’s anti-environmental campaign cast a massive shadow over the event. In appearances through the week, White House officials sought to peg its deregulatory agenda as a win to reduce 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 getting Americans on board with green policies on the basis that they can lower costs. For instance, two Democratic representatives, from Illinois and California, unveiled a plan to accelerate new power-line construction and reinstate green energy incentives which Trump repealed earlier this year. Its name: the Cheap Energy Act.

It’s a strategy that Jennifer Granholm, who served 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 must-have mode,” she told reporters during 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 immediate benefits. Instead of merely adjusting with the tax code to encourage green technology buildout – a signature of Biden’s climate efforts – politicians should focus on less technical, “green economic populist” campaigns 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 build up a broad support [who have] faith in public institutions and confidence in the government,” Batul Hassan, labor director at the left-leaning thinktank Climate and Community Institute, remarked at a panel.

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

“It has long been recognized that if we’re going to create a broad coalition, 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, shouting over the thrum of Charli xcx.

Communication is critical, but merely speaking about affordability is not enough, Alexa Avilés, a New York City council member and progressive, told the Guardian at the Mamdani event. Trump, for instance, has failed to fulfill on his promise of reducing bills as handing huge 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 actually providing relief to people. And we see that when we genuinely center people over profit, people respond to that. People can discern who is for real.”

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