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

The US energy secretary, Chris Wright, stated that under President Trump the United States is “returning to practical energy policies that concentrate 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, promoted their efforts to connect green policies with efforts to cut city residents’ rent and ensure transit affordable.

The effort to tie daily cost issues to global warming is longstanding. The idea was a central part of the progressive climate plan, a forward-thinking policy platform popularized by youth-led 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 signature green carbon-cutting policy the Inflation Reduction Act, from 2022.

Now, as utility bills soar around the country, Americans on all sides of the political spectrum are framing their energy and climate plans as methods to protect everyday citizens’ pocketbooks.

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Spotlight

Every year, Climate Week in New York City brings together public leaders, business representatives, experts and campaigners for a vast array of climate-focused events, scheduled to align with the United Nations general assembly.

This year, the Trump administration’s anti-environmental blitz threw a massive shadow over the event. In appearances through the week, White House officials aimed to peg its rule-cutting agenda as a win to reduce Americans’ bills, with Trump calling green energy a “scam” and Wright saying: “The more people have gotten into supposed climate action, the more expensive their energy has become.”

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and California, unveiled a plan to speed new power-line construction and restore green energy incentives which Trump repealed earlier this year.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

It’s a framework 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 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 during avocado toast one morning. “Affordability is key.”

Those significantly Granholm’s progressive side also called for a emphasis on affordability in the climate fight. But many demanded more ambitious solutions that provide more quick benefits. Instead of merely adjusting with the tax code to encourage green technology buildout – a signature of Biden’s climate efforts – politicians should prioritize less technical, “green economic populist” initiatives such as fare-free transit and the build-out of low-carbon public housing.

“These kinds of programs do have decarbonization benefits, but they’re highly important for starting to build up a broad support [who have] trust in public institutions and trust 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, represents this kind of platform, said Hassan. On Wednesday of Climate Week, progressives gathered 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 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 beat of Charli xcx.

Communication is critical, but merely speaking about affordability is insufficient, 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 as handing massive 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 working-class folks, but then they create policies that are designed for the rich. We’ve been dealing 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 really center people over profit, people respond to that. People can tell who is sincere.”

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