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During formal United Nations media briefings, in luxurious halls and at crowded 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 during President Trump the United States is “reverting to commonsense energy policies that focus on affordability”. The former energy secretary, Jennifer Granholm, emphasized Democrats must center on renewable power’s ability to reduce power bills to win elections. And supporters of the likely soon-to-be New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, trumpeted their initiatives to connect green policies with actions to cut city residents’ rent and make transit affordable.

The attempt to tie daily cost issues to global warming is not new. The idea was a key part of the Green New Deal, a progressive policy platform championed by young climate group the Sunrise Movement and New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2018. Joe Biden adopted the framing in the White House, naming his signature green carbon-cutting policy the Inflation Reduction Act, from 2022.

Now, as utility bills rise around the country, Americans on every part of the ideological divide are presenting their energy and climate proposals as methods to protect everyday citizens’ pocketbooks.

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Spotlight

Every year, Climate Week in New York City unites government officials, 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 environment-deregulating campaign threw a massive shadow over the event. In appearances through the week, White House officials aimed to frame its deregulatory agenda as a win to lower Americans’ bills, with Trump labeling green energy a “fraud” and Wright saying: “The more people have gotten into supposed climate action, the more expensive their energy has become.”

Climate advocates attempted to expose those statements as inaccurate while persuading Americans to support with green policies on the basis that they can lower costs. For instance, two Democratic representatives, from Illinois and California, introduced a plan to speed new power-line construction and reinstate green energy incentives which Trump repealed earlier this year.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, said she anticipated as climate slips down the list of political concerns 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 must-have, and right now they’re in the must-have mode,” she told reporters during avocado toast one morning. “Affordability is key.”

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 expansion – a hallmark of Biden’s climate efforts – politicians should prioritize less technical, “green economic populist” campaigns such as no-cost transit and the development of decarbonized public housing.

“These kinds of programs do have emissions-reduction benefits, but they’re highly important for starting to build up a broad support [who have] trust in public institutions and trust in the government,” Batul Hassan, workforce lead at the progressive thinktank Climate and Community Institute, remarked 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 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 build a broad coalition, people need to see the link between the shift to renewable energy and spending less money,” New York City comptroller Brad Lander said in an interview at the party, speaking over the thrum of Charli xcx.

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

“Some people talk about everyday folks, but then they create policies that are intended 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 genuinely prioritize people over profit, people react to that. People can tell who is for real.”

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