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At formal UN press conferences, in luxurious auditoriums and at sticky socialist dance parties, one word was on all minds at this year’s Climate Week NYC: cost-effectiveness.

The American energy chief, 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, emphasized Democrats must center on renewable power’s ability 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 cut city residents’ rent and make transit affordable.

The effort to tie everyday cost issues to global warming is longstanding. The concept was a key part of the Green New Deal, a progressive policy platform championed by youth-led 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 utility bills soar around the country, Americans on every part of the ideological divide are framing their energy and climate proposals as methods to protect everyday citizens’ pocketbooks.

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Spotlight

Every year, Climate Week in New York City unites government officials, business representatives, experts and campaigners for a vast array of climate-focused events, timed to align with the United Nations general assembly.

This year, the Trump administration’s anti-environmental campaign 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 saying: “The more people have gotten into supposed climate action, the more expensive their energy has become.”

Environmental supporters attempted to expose those statements 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, unveiled a proposal to accelerate new power-line construction and reinstate green energy incentives which Trump repealed earlier this year.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 expected as climate slips 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 secondary [concern], not a must-have, and right now they’re in the must-have mode,” she told reporters over avocado toast one morning. “Affordability is crucial.”

Those well to Granholm’s left also advocated a focus on affordability in the climate fight. But many demanded more ambitious solutions that deliver more quick benefits. Instead of merely adjusting with the tax code to encourage green technology expansion – a signature of Biden’s climate efforts – politicians should focus on less wonky, “green economic populist” initiatives 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 establish 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, said at a panel.

Mamdani, the left-wing who secured a stunning win in the New York City mayoral primary this summer, embodies this kind of agenda, said Hassan. On Wednesday of Climate Week, progressives gathered for a dance party 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 broad coalition, people need to see the link 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 important, 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 not delivered to fulfill on his promise of reducing bills as giving massive benefits to oil giants and other corporations. And many Democrats are also culpable of prioritizing their corporate donors’ interests, Avilés said.

“Some people speak about working-class folks, but then they make policies that are intended for the rich. We’ve been living 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 genuinely prioritize people over profit, people respond to that. People can discern who is for real.”

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