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At formal United Nations media briefings, in swanky auditoriums and at crowded socialist celebrations, one word was on all minds at this year’s New York Climate Week: cost-effectiveness.

The US energy secretary, Chris Wright, stated that during President Trump the United States is “returning to practical energy policies that concentrate on affordability”. The previous energy secretary, Jennifer Granholm, said Democrats must focus on renewable power’s capacity to reduce power bills to secure elections. And supporters of the almost certainly soon-to-be New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, promoted their efforts to connect green policies with efforts to cut city residents’ rent and ensure transit cost-effective.

The effort to tie daily cost issues to global warming is longstanding. The idea was a key part of the progressive climate plan, 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 approach in the White House, calling 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 presenting their energy and climate plans as ways to safeguard ordinary people’s finances.

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In Focus

Annually, Climate Week in New York City unites public leaders, corporate actors, experts and activists for a wide range of environment-centered events, timed to coincide with the United Nations general assembly.

This year, the Trump administration’s environment-deregulating campaign cast a massive shadow over the event. In appearances through the week, White House officials aimed to peg its deregulatory agenda as a victory to lower Americans’ bills, with Trump labeling 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 expose those statements as inaccurate 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California, introduced a plan to accelerate new power-line construction and restore green energy incentives which Trump repealed earlier this year.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 anticipated as climate slips down the list of public priorities 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 over avocado toast one morning. “Affordability is crucial.”

Those well to Granholm’s left also called for a emphasis on affordability in the climate fight. But many demanded more far-reaching solutions that deliver more immediate benefits. Instead of merely adjusting with the tax code to encourage green technology buildout – a hallmark of Biden’s climate efforts – politicians should focus on less wonky, “green economic populist” campaigns such as no-cost transit and the development of low-carbon public housing.

“These kinds of programs do have decarbonization 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, remarked 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 dance party at the legendary Sounds of Brazil music venue to honor 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 shift to renewable energy and paying less money,” New York City comptroller Brad Lander said in an interview at the party, speaking over the thrum of Charli xcx.

Communication is critical, but merely talking 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 fulfill on his promise of reducing bills while giving huge benefits to oil giants and other corporations. And many Democrats are also guilty of favoring their business backers’ interests, Avilés said.

“Some people speak 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 genuinely center people over profit, people respond to that. People can tell who is sincere.”

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