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During formal United Nations media briefings, in swanky auditoriums and at crowded progressive dance parties, one word was on all minds at this year’s New York Climate Week: affordability.

The American energy chief, Chris Wright, said that during President Trump the United States is “reverting to commonsense energy policies that focus on affordability”. The previous energy secretary, Jennifer Granholm, said Democrats must focus on renewable power’s ability to shrink power bills to secure elections. And advocates of the almost certainly soon-to-be 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 attempt to tie everyday cost issues to global warming is longstanding. The concept was a key part of the progressive climate plan, a forward-thinking policy platform popularized by youth-led climate group the Sunrise Movement and New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2018. Joe Biden picked up the framing in the White House, calling his signature green carbon-cutting policy the Inflation Reduction Act, from 2022.

Now, as utility bills soar around the country, Americans on all sides of the ideological divide are presenting their energy and climate proposals as methods to safeguard ordinary people’s pocketbooks.

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In Focus

Every year, Climate Week in New York City brings together public leaders, business representatives, scholars and campaigners for a vast array of climate-focused events, scheduled to align with the United Nations general assembly.

This year, the Trump administration’s environment-deregulating campaign cast a massive shadow over the event. In speeches through the week, White House officials aimed to frame its deregulatory agenda as a victory to lower 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.”

Environmental supporters worked to reveal those statements as inaccurate while persuading 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and California, unveiled a plan to speed new power-line construction and restore green energy incentives which Trump repealed earlier this year. Its name: the Cheap Energy Act.

It’s a framework that Jennifer Granholm, who served as US energy secretary under Biden, noted she expected 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 secondary [concern], not a essential, and right now they’re in the critical mode,” she told reporters over avocado toast one morning. “Affordability is crucial.”

Those significantly Granholm’s progressive side also called for a emphasis on affordability in the climate fight. But many called for more far-reaching solutions that provide more immediate benefits. Instead of merely tinkering 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 fare-free 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 progressive thinktank Climate and Community Institute, said at a panel.

Mamdani, the socialist who achieved a stunning win in the New York City mayoral primary this summer, represents this kind of agenda, said Hassan. On Wednesday of Climate Week, progressives assembled for a dance party at the legendary Sounds of Brazil music venue to celebrate the candidate’s success.

“It has long been understood 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, 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 failed to deliver on his promise of lowering 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 talk about working-class folks, but then they create policies that are designed for the rich. We’ve been living with that frustration for a long time,” she said. “We need to concentrate on actually bringing relief to people. And we see that when we really center people over profit, people respond to that. People can tell who is sincere.”

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