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During formal UN press conferences, in luxurious auditoriums and at sticky progressive dance parties, one term was on all minds at this year’s New York Climate Week: 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 previous energy secretary, Jennifer Granholm, emphasized Democrats must center on renewable power’s capacity to reduce power bills to win elections. And supporters of the almost certainly future New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, promoted their efforts to connect green policies with efforts to cut city residents’ rent and make transit cost-effective.

The attempt to link everyday cost issues to climate change is not new. The idea was a key part of the progressive climate plan, 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 picked up the framing in the White House, calling his flagship green carbon-cutting policy the Inflation Reduction Act, from 2022.

Now, as energy costs rise around the country, Americans on all sides of the political spectrum are presenting their energy and climate proposals as ways to safeguard everyday citizens’ pocketbooks.

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In Focus

Annually, Climate Week in New York City unites public leaders, corporate actors, experts and campaigners for a vast array of climate-focused events, timed to coincide with the United Nations general assembly.

This year, the Trump administration’s anti-environmental campaign threw a significant shadow over the event. In appearances through the week, White House officials sought to frame its deregulatory agenda as a win to lower Americans’ bills, with Trump labeling green energy a “fraud” and Wright saying: “The more people have gotten into supposed climate action, the more expensive their energy has become.”

Climate advocates attempted to expose those claims as false 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, unveiled a plan to accelerate new power-line construction and reinstate green energy incentives which Trump canceled earlier this year. Its name: the Cheap Energy Act.

It’s a strategy that Jennifer Granholm, who served 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 must-have mode,” she told reporters over avocado toast one morning. “Affordability is key.”

Those well to Granholm’s left also advocated a focus on affordability in the climate fight. But many demanded more ambitious solutions that provide more immediate benefits. Instead of merely tinkering with the tax code to encourage green technology expansion – a hallmark of Biden’s climate efforts – politicians should prioritize less technical, “green economic populist” initiatives such as no-cost transit and the development of decarbonized public housing.

“These kinds of programs do have emissions-reduction benefits, but they’re highly important for starting to build up a broad support [who have] faith in public institutions and confidence in the government,” Batul Hassan, workforce lead at the left-leaning thinktank Climate and Community Institute, remarked 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, activists 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 build 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 thrum of Charli xcx.

Messaging 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 reducing bills as giving massive benefits to oil giants and other corporations. And many Democrats are also guilty of favoring their corporate donors’ interests, Avilés said.

“Some people talk about everyday folks, but then they make 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 truly bringing relief to people. And we see that when we genuinely prioritize people over profit, people react to that. People can discern who is sincere.”

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