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At stuffy UN press conferences, in luxurious halls and at crowded progressive celebrations, one word 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 concentrate on affordability”. The former 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 connect green policies with actions to lower city residents’ rent and make transit cost-effective.

The attempt to link everyday cost issues to global warming is longstanding. The concept was a central part of the Green New Deal, a forward-thinking policy platform popularized by young climate group the Sunrise Movement and New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2018. Joe Biden picked up 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 methods to safeguard everyday citizens’ finances.

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In Focus

Annually, Climate Week in New York City brings together government officials, corporate actors, experts and campaigners for a wide range of environment-centered events, scheduled to align with the United Nations general assembly.

This year, the Trump administration’s anti-environmental campaign cast a significant shadow over the event. In speeches through the week, White House officials sought to frame its rule-cutting agenda as a victory to lower Americans’ bills, with Trump labeling green energy a “fraud” and Wright saying: “The more people have gotten into supposed climate action, the more expensive their energy has become.”

Environmental supporters worked to reveal those statements as false 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California, unveiled a proposal to speed new power-line construction and reinstate green energy incentives which Trump repealed earlier this year.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, noted she expected as climate falls 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 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 crucial.”

Those well to Granholm’s progressive side also called for a focus on affordability in the climate fight. But many demanded more far-reaching solutions that deliver more immediate benefits. Instead of merely tinkering with the tax code to incentivize green technology expansion – a signature of Biden’s climate efforts – politicians should focus on less technical, “green economic populist” campaigns such as no-cost transit and the build-out of low-carbon 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] faith in public institutions and confidence in the government,” Batul Hassan, labor director at the left-leaning thinktank Climate and Community Institute, said at a panel.

Mamdani, the socialist who secured a remarkable win in the New York City mayoral primary this summer, represents this kind of platform, said Hassan. On Wednesday of Climate Week, activists 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 mass movement, people need to see the connection between the transition to renewable energy and spending less money,” New York City comptroller Brad Lander said in an interview at the party, shouting over the thrum of Charli xcx.

Messaging is important, but merely talking about affordability is not enough, 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 reducing bills as giving huge benefits to oil giants and other corporations. And many Democrats are also culpable of favoring their business backers’ interests, Avilés said.

“Some people talk about working-class folks, but then they create policies that are intended for the rich. We’ve been dealing with that disappointment for a long time,” she said. “We need to focus on truly providing relief to people. And we see that when we genuinely center people over profit, people respond to that. People can discern who is for real.”

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