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During formal UN media briefings, in luxurious auditoriums and at crowded socialist celebrations, one word was on everyone’s lips 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 previous energy secretary, Jennifer Granholm, said 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, promoted their efforts to link green policies with actions to lower city residents’ rent and make transit affordable.

The attempt to link daily cost issues to climate change is not new. The idea was a key part of the progressive climate plan, a forward-thinking policy platform championed by young climate group the Sunrise Movement and New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2018. Joe Biden picked up 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 political spectrum are framing their energy and climate plans as methods to protect ordinary people’s pocketbooks.

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Spotlight

Annually, Climate Week in New York City unites public leaders, corporate actors, scholars and campaigners for a wide range of environment-centered events, timed to align with the United Nations general assembly.

This year, the Trump administration’s anti-environmental campaign threw a significant shadow over the event. In speeches through the week, White House officials sought to peg its rule-cutting agenda as a win to lower Americans’ bills, with Trump calling green energy a “scam” and Wright saying: “The more people have gotten into supposed climate action, the more expensive their energy has become.”

Environmental supporters worked to expose those statements as inaccurate while getting Americans to support with green policies on the basis that they can lower 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 framework 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 nice-to-have [concern], not a essential, and right now they’re in the critical mode,” she told reporters over avocado toast one morning. “Affordability is key.”

Those significantly Granholm’s left also advocated a focus on affordability in the climate fight. But many demanded more ambitious solutions that provide more immediate benefits. Instead of merely adjusting with the tax code to incentivize green technology expansion – a hallmark of Biden’s climate efforts – politicians should prioritize less technical, “green economic populist” initiatives such as no-cost transit and the build-out 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 trust in the government,” Batul Hassan, labor director at the left-leaning thinktank Climate and Community Institute, said at a panel.

Mamdani, the left-wing who achieved a remarkable win in the New York City mayoral primary this summer, embodies this kind of agenda, said Hassan. On Wednesday of Climate Week, activists assembled for a dance party at the renowned Sounds of Brazil music venue to honor the candidate’s success.

“It has long been understood that if we’re going to create a broad coalition, people need to see the connection between the transition to renewable energy and paying less money,” New York City comptroller Brad Lander said in an interview at the party, speaking over the thrum of Charli xcx.

Messaging is important, 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 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 speak 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 concentrate on actually bringing relief to people. And we see that when we genuinely prioritize people over profit, people react to that. People can tell who is sincere.”

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