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During stuffy United Nations media briefings, in luxurious auditoriums and at sticky progressive celebrations, one term was on all minds at this year’s New York Climate Week: affordability.

The American energy chief, Chris Wright, stated that under President Trump the United States is “reverting to practical energy policies that concentrate on affordability”. The previous energy secretary, Jennifer Granholm, emphasized Democrats must center on renewable power’s capacity to shrink power bills to secure elections. And advocates of the almost certainly future 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 attempt to link everyday cost issues to climate change is longstanding. The concept was a central part of the progressive climate plan, 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 flagship green carbon-cutting policy the Inflation Reduction Act, from 2022.

Now, as energy costs soar around the country, Americans on all sides of the ideological divide are framing their energy and climate proposals as ways to protect ordinary people’s finances.

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In Focus

Every year, Climate Week in New York City brings together public leaders, corporate actors, scholars and activists for a wide range of climate-focused events, scheduled to align with the United Nations general assembly.

This year, the Trump administration’s environment-deregulating blitz cast a significant shadow over the event. In appearances through the week, White House officials sought to frame its deregulatory agenda as a win to reduce 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 claims as inaccurate while getting Americans to support with green policies on the grounds that they can lower costs. For instance, two Democratic representatives, from Illinois and California, unveiled a plan to accelerate new power-line construction and restore green energy incentives which Trump canceled earlier this year. Its name: the Cheap Energy Act.

It’s a framework that Jennifer Granholm, who acted as US energy secretary under Biden, said she expected as climate falls 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 must-have mode,” she told reporters over avocado toast one morning. “Affordability is key.”

Those well to Granholm’s left also advocated a focus on affordability in the climate fight. But many called for 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 no-cost transit and the build-out of low-carbon public housing.

“These kinds of programs do have emissions-reduction benefits, but they’re highly important for starting to establish a mass base [who have] trust 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, progressives assembled for a dance party at the renowned Sounds of Brazil music venue to celebrate 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 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 democratic socialist, 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 guilty of favoring their corporate donors’ interests, Avilés said.

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

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