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At stuffy UN media briefings, in luxurious halls and at sticky socialist celebrations, one term was on everyone’s lips at this year’s New York Climate Week: cost-effectiveness.

The US energy secretary, Chris Wright, said that under President Trump the United States is “returning 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 almost certainly future New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, trumpeted their efforts to link green policies with efforts to lower city residents’ rent and make transit affordable.

The effort to tie everyday cost issues to global warming is longstanding. The concept was a central part of the progressive climate plan, a progressive 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, calling his flagship green carbon-cutting policy the Inflation Reduction Act, from 2022.

Now, as utility bills rise around the country, Americans on all sides of the political spectrum are framing their energy and climate proposals as ways to protect everyday citizens’ finances.

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In Focus

Every year, Climate Week in New York City unites government officials, corporate actors, scholars and campaigners for a wide range of environment-centered events, timed to coincide with the United Nations general assembly.

This year, the Trump administration’s anti-environmental blitz threw a massive shadow over the event. In speeches through the week, White House officials sought to frame its rule-cutting agenda as a win to reduce Americans’ bills, with Trump labeling 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 worked to expose those statements as inaccurate 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California, unveiled a proposal to speed new power-line construction and reinstate green energy incentives which Trump repealed earlier this year.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 falls 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 over avocado toast one morning. “Affordability is crucial.”

Those well to Granholm’s progressive side also advocated a emphasis on affordability in the climate fight. But many called for more ambitious solutions that provide more quick benefits. Instead of merely tinkering with the tax code to incentivize green technology buildout – a signature of Biden’s climate efforts – politicians should focus on less wonky, “green economic populist” campaigns such as fare-free 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 trust in the government,” Batul Hassan, labor director at the progressive thinktank Climate and Community Institute, remarked at a panel.

Mamdani, the socialist who secured a remarkable win in the New York City mayoral primary this summer, embodies this kind of platform, said Hassan. On Wednesday of Climate Week, activists assembled for a celebration at the legendary Sounds of Brazil music venue to celebrate 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 transition to renewable energy and spending 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 not enough, 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 handing massive 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 everyday 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 concentrate on truly bringing relief to people. And we see that when we genuinely center people over profit, people react to that. People can discern who is for real.”

Further Reading:

• US energy department cracks down on workers’ use of climate crisis language
• Trump administration spending $625m to revive dying coal industry
• Los Angeles pledged to host the Olympics without breaking the bank and environment. Can it?