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During formal United Nations media briefings, in swanky auditoriums and at sticky progressive dance parties, one term was on all minds at this year’s Climate Week NYC: affordability.

The US energy secretary, Chris Wright, stated 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 center on renewable power’s ability to reduce power bills to secure elections. And supporters of the almost certainly future New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, promoted their initiatives to link green policies with efforts to cut city residents’ rent and make transit cost-effective.

The effort to tie everyday cost issues to global warming is not new. The idea was a key part of the Green New Deal, a forward-thinking policy platform popularized 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, calling his flagship green carbon-cutting policy the Inflation Reduction Act, from 2022.

Now, as utility bills rise around the country, Americans on all sides of the political spectrum are framing their energy and climate plans as methods to protect ordinary people’s finances.

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In Focus

Annually, Climate Week in New York City unites government officials, corporate actors, scholars and activists for a vast array of climate-focused events, timed to coincide with the United Nations general assembly.

This year, the Trump administration’s environment-deregulating campaign threw a significant shadow over the event. In appearances through the week, White House officials sought to peg its rule-cutting agenda as a victory to reduce Americans’ bills, with Trump labeling green energy a “scam” and Wright declaring: “The more people have gotten into supposed climate action, the more expensive their energy has become.”

Environmental supporters worked to reveal those statements as inaccurate while persuading 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 served as US energy secretary under Biden, said she expected as climate slips down the list of public priorities 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 essential, and right now they’re in the must-have 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 far-reaching solutions that deliver more immediate benefits. Instead of merely adjusting with the tax code to incentivize green technology expansion – a signature of Biden’s climate efforts – politicians should focus on less technical, “green economic populist” initiatives 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 confidence in the government,” Batul Hassan, labor director at the progressive thinktank Climate and Community Institute, said at a panel.

Mamdani, the socialist who achieved a remarkable win in the New York City mayoral primary this summer, represents this kind of platform, said Hassan. On Wednesday of Climate Week, activists assembled for a celebration at the legendary 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 link between the shift to renewable energy and paying less money,” New York City comptroller Brad Lander said in an interview at the party, speaking over the beat of Charli xcx.

Messaging 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 not delivered to deliver on his promise of reducing bills as handing massive benefits to oil giants and other corporations. And many Democrats are also culpable of prioritizing their business backers’ interests, Avilés said.

“Some people talk about working-class folks, but then they make policies that are designed for the rich. We’ve been dealing with that disappointment for a long time,” she said. “We need to focus on actually providing relief to people. And we see that when we really center people over profit, people respond to that. People can discern who is sincere.”

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