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At formal UN press conferences, in luxurious halls and at crowded progressive celebrations, one word was on everyone’s minds at this year’s New York Climate Week: affordability.

The US energy secretary, Chris Wright, said that during President Trump the United States is “returning to commonsense energy policies that focus on affordability”. The former energy secretary, Jennifer Granholm, said Democrats must center on renewable power’s ability to shrink power bills to win elections. And supporters of the likely soon-to-be New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, trumpeted their efforts to connect green policies with actions to cut city residents’ rent and ensure transit affordable.

The attempt to tie daily cost issues to global warming is not new. The idea was a key 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 adopted the approach in the White House, naming his flagship green carbon-cutting policy the Inflation Reduction Act, from 2022.

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

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In Focus

Annually, Climate Week in New York City brings together government officials, business representatives, scholars and campaigners for a wide range of climate-focused events, scheduled to coincide with the United Nations general assembly.

This year, the Trump administration’s anti-environmental blitz cast a massive shadow over the event. In speeches through the week, White House officials sought to peg its deregulatory agenda as a victory to lower Americans’ bills, with Trump calling green energy a “fraud” and Wright declaring: “The more people have gotten into so-called climate action, the more expensive their energy has become.”

Environmental supporters worked to reveal those claims as inaccurate while getting Americans to support with green policies on the basis that they can cut costs. For instance, two Democratic representatives, from Illinois and California, introduced a proposal to speed new power-line construction and reinstate green energy incentives which Trump repealed earlier this year.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 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 critical mode,” she told reporters during avocado toast one morning. “Affordability is key.”

Those significantly Granholm’s left also called for a focus 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 expansion – a signature of Biden’s climate efforts – politicians should prioritize less wonky, “green economic populist” initiatives such as no-cost transit and the development of low-carbon public housing.

“These kinds of programs do have emissions-reduction benefits, but they’re highly important for starting to build up a mass base [who have] faith in public institutions and confidence in the government,” Batul Hassan, workforce lead at the left-leaning thinktank Climate and Community Institute, said at a panel.

Mamdani, the left-wing who secured a stunning win in the New York City mayoral primary this summer, represents this kind of platform, said Hassan. On Wednesday of Climate Week, progressives gathered for a dance party 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 connection between the transition to renewable energy and paying less money,” New York City comptroller Brad Lander said in an interview at the party, shouting over the thrum of Charli xcx.

Communication is important, but merely speaking 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 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 everyday folks, but then they create policies that are intended for the rich. We’ve been dealing with that frustration for a long time,” she said. “We need to focus on truly bringing relief to people. And we see that when we really center people over profit, people react to that. People can discern who is for real.”

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