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At formal United Nations press conferences, in luxurious halls and at sticky progressive celebrations, one term was on everyone’s minds at this year’s Climate Week NYC: cost-effectiveness.

The US energy secretary, Chris Wright, said that under President Trump the United States is “returning to practical energy policies that focus on affordability”. The previous energy secretary, Jennifer Granholm, said 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, trumpeted their efforts to link green policies with actions to lower city residents’ rent and ensure transit affordable.

The effort to link daily 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 adopted the framing in the White House, naming his flagship green carbon-cutting policy the Inflation Reduction Act, from 2022.

Now, as utility bills rise around the country, Americans on every part of the political spectrum are framing their energy and climate plans as ways to protect ordinary people’s pocketbooks.

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Spotlight

Every year, Climate Week in New York City unites government officials, business representatives, scholars and campaigners for a vast array of climate-focused events, timed to align with the United Nations general assembly.

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

Climate advocates worked to expose those statements as false while getting Americans on board with green policies on the basis that they can cut costs. For instance, two Democratic representatives, from Illinois and California, unveiled a proposal to accelerate new power-line construction and restore green energy incentives which Trump repealed earlier this year. Its name: the Cheap Energy Act.

It’s a strategy that Jennifer Granholm, who served as US energy secretary under Biden, noted she anticipated 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 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 called for more far-reaching solutions that deliver more immediate benefits. Instead of merely tinkering with the tax code to encourage green technology buildout – a hallmark of Biden’s climate efforts – politicians should prioritize less wonky, “green economic populist” initiatives such as no-cost transit and the build-out of decarbonized public housing.

“These kinds of programs do have decarbonization benefits, but they’re extremely important for starting to build up a mass base [who have] faith in public institutions and trust in the government,” Batul Hassan, labor director at the progressive thinktank Climate and Community Institute, said at a panel.

Mamdani, the left-wing 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, progressives assembled for a celebration at the legendary Sounds of Brazil music venue to celebrate the candidate’s success.

“It has long been recognized that if we’re going to build a mass movement, people need to see the link between the transition 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 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 deliver on his promise of lowering bills while giving huge benefits to oil giants and other corporations. And many Democrats are also guilty of prioritizing 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 disappointment for a long time,” she said. “We need to focus on actually bringing relief to people. And we see that when we really center people over profit, people react to that. People can discern who is sincere.”

Further Reading:

• US energy department cracks down on workers’ use of environmental emergency language
• Trump administration allocating $625m to resurrect dying coal industry
• Los Angeles vowed to host the Olympics without breaking the bank and environment. Is it possible?