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During stuffy UN media briefings, in swanky halls and at sticky socialist celebrations, one term was on all lips at this year’s Climate Week NYC: cost-effectiveness.

The American energy chief, Chris Wright, stated that under President Trump the United States is “reverting to commonsense energy policies that concentrate on affordability”. The former energy secretary, Jennifer Granholm, said Democrats must center on renewable power’s ability to reduce power bills to win elections. And supporters of the likely future New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, trumpeted their initiatives to link green policies with actions to cut city residents’ rent and ensure transit affordable.

The effort to tie everyday cost issues to global warming is longstanding. The concept was a central part of the Green New Deal, a forward-thinking 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 signature green carbon-cutting policy the Inflation Reduction Act, from 2022.

Now, as energy costs soar around the country, Americans on all sides of the ideological divide are presenting their energy and climate plans as ways to safeguard everyday citizens’ finances.

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In Focus

Annually, Climate Week in New York City brings together public leaders, corporate actors, scholars and campaigners for a vast array of environment-centered events, timed to align with the United Nations general assembly.

This year, the Trump administration’s anti-environmental blitz cast a massive shadow over the event. In appearances through the week, White House officials sought to peg its deregulatory agenda as a victory to reduce 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.”

Climate advocates attempted to reveal those claims as inaccurate while persuading 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introduced a proposal to accelerate new power-line construction and reinstate green energy incentives which Trump repealed earlier this year. Its name: the Cheap Energy Act.

It’s a strategy that Jennifer Granholm, who acted as US energy secretary under Biden, noted she anticipated as climate slips down the list of political concerns 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 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 progressive side also called for a focus on affordability in the climate fight. But many called for more ambitious solutions that deliver more quick benefits. Instead of merely adjusting with the tax code to encourage green technology buildout – a hallmark of Biden’s climate efforts – politicians should prioritize less technical, “green economic populist” campaigns such as no-cost transit and the build-out of decarbonized public housing.

“These kinds of programs do have decarbonization benefits, but they’re highly important for starting to build up a mass base [who have] trust in public institutions and confidence in the government,” Batul Hassan, workforce lead 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, activists assembled for a celebration at the renowned Sounds of Brazil music venue to honor the candidate’s success.

“It has long been recognized that if we’re going to create a mass movement, people need to see the link 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 beat of Charli xcx.

Communication is critical, 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 not delivered to fulfill on his promise of lowering bills while handing huge benefits to oil giants and other corporations. And many Democrats are also guilty of favoring their corporate donors’ interests, Avilés said.

“Some people speak about everyday folks, but then they make policies that are designed for the rich. We’ve been living with that disappointment for a long time,” she said. “We need to concentrate on actually providing relief to people. And we see that when we genuinely prioritize people over profit, people respond to that. People can tell who is for real.”

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