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

The American energy chief, Chris Wright, said 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 likely future New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, trumpeted their initiatives to link green policies with actions to cut city residents’ rent and make transit affordable.

The effort to tie everyday cost issues to global warming is longstanding. The idea was a central part of the Green New Deal, 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 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 political spectrum are framing their energy and climate proposals as ways to safeguard everyday citizens’ finances.

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In Focus

Annually, Climate Week in New York City unites government officials, business representatives, 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 anti-environmental campaign cast a significant shadow over the event. In appearances through the week, White House officials aimed to peg its deregulatory agenda as a victory to reduce Americans’ bills, with Trump labeling green energy a “fraud” and Wright saying: “The more people have gotten into so-called climate action, the more expensive their energy has become.”

Climate advocates attempted to reveal those statements as false 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 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, noted she expected as climate slips down the list of public priorities 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 must-have, and right now they’re in the must-have mode,” she told reporters over avocado toast one morning. “Affordability is crucial.”

Those significantly 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 incentivize green technology buildout – a hallmark of Biden’s climate efforts – politicians should prioritize less technical, “green economic populist” campaigns such as no-cost transit and the build-out of decarbonized 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 trust in the government,” Batul Hassan, labor director at the left-leaning 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 agenda, said Hassan. On Wednesday of Climate Week, progressives gathered for a celebration 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 mass movement, people need to see the link between the transition to renewable energy and spending 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 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 failed to fulfill on his promise of lowering bills while 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 speak about everyday folks, but then they create policies that are intended for the rich. We’ve been living with that frustration for a long time,” she said. “We need to focus 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 for real.”

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