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At formal UN press conferences, in swanky auditoriums and at crowded socialist dance parties, one word was on everyone’s lips at this year’s Climate Week NYC: affordability.

The American energy chief, Chris Wright, stated that during President Trump the United States is “returning to practical energy policies that concentrate on affordability”. The former energy secretary, Jennifer Granholm, emphasized Democrats must focus on renewable power’s capacity to reduce power bills to secure elections. And supporters of the almost certainly soon-to-be New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, promoted their initiatives to connect green policies with efforts to cut city residents’ rent and ensure transit affordable.

The attempt to link daily cost issues to global warming is not new. The concept was a central 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 framing in the White House, calling his signature green carbon-cutting policy the Inflation Reduction Act, from 2022.

Now, as energy costs rise around the country, Americans on all sides of the political spectrum are presenting their energy and climate proposals as methods to safeguard ordinary people’s pocketbooks.

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In Focus

Annually, Climate Week in New York City unites government officials, business representatives, experts and campaigners 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 threw a significant shadow over the event. In speeches through the week, White House officials aimed to peg its deregulatory agenda as a victory to lower Americans’ bills, with Trump calling green energy a “fraud” and Wright declaring: “The more people have gotten into supposed climate action, the more expensive their energy has become.”

Environmental supporters attempted to expose those claims as false 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 title: the Cheap Energy Act.

It’s a framework 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 secondary [concern], not a essential, and right now they’re in the critical mode,” she told reporters during avocado toast one morning. “Affordability is key.”

Those well to Granholm’s progressive side also advocated a emphasis 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 incentivize green technology buildout – a signature of Biden’s climate efforts – politicians should focus on less wonky, “green economic populist” campaigns such as fare-free transit and the development of low-carbon public housing.

“These kinds of programs do have emissions-reduction benefits, but they’re extremely important for starting to establish a mass base [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 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, progressives gathered for a celebration at the renowned Sounds of Brazil music venue to honor the candidate’s success.

“It has long been recognized that if we’re going to create a mass movement, people need to see the connection between the shift 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 talking 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 not delivered to deliver on his promise of lowering bills while giving huge benefits to oil giants and other corporations. And many Democrats are also culpable of prioritizing 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 dealing with that frustration 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 respond to that. People can discern who is sincere.”

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