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During stuffy United Nations press conferences, in luxurious auditoriums and at crowded socialist celebrations, one term was on all lips at this year’s New York Climate Week: affordability.

The US energy secretary, Chris Wright, stated that during President Trump the United States is “reverting to practical energy policies that focus on affordability”. The former energy secretary, Jennifer Granholm, said Democrats must center 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 make transit cost-effective.

The attempt to link everyday cost issues to global warming is not new. The concept was a central part of the Green New Deal, a progressive policy platform championed 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 flagship green carbon-cutting policy the Inflation Reduction Act, from 2022.

Now, as utility bills soar around the country, Americans on every part of the political spectrum are presenting their energy and climate plans as ways to safeguard everyday citizens’ finances.

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In Focus

Annually, Climate Week in New York City unites public leaders, business representatives, experts and activists for a vast array of climate-focused events, scheduled to coincide with the United Nations general assembly.

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

Environmental supporters worked to expose those claims 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, introduced a plan to speed new power-line construction and reinstate green energy incentives which Trump canceled earlier this year. Its title: the Cheap Energy Act.

It’s a strategy that Jennifer Granholm, who served as US energy secretary under Biden, said she anticipated as climate falls 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 essential, and right now they’re in the must-have mode,” she told reporters during avocado toast one morning. “Affordability is key.”

Those well to Granholm’s progressive side also called for a emphasis on affordability in the climate fight. But many demanded more far-reaching solutions that provide more immediate benefits. Instead of merely tinkering with the tax code to encourage 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 decarbonization 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, remarked at a panel.

Mamdani, the socialist who achieved a stunning win in the New York City mayoral primary this summer, embodies this kind of agenda, said Hassan. On Wednesday of Climate Week, activists gathered for a dance party at the legendary Sounds of Brazil music venue to celebrate the candidate’s success.

“It has long been understood that if we’re going to build 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.

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 not delivered to fulfill on his promise of reducing bills while handing huge benefits to oil giants and other corporations. And many Democrats are also culpable 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 actually bringing relief to people. And we see that when we genuinely prioritize people over profit, people react to that. People can discern who is sincere.”

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