At stuffy United Nations media briefings, in swanky halls and at crowded socialist celebrations, one word was on all minds at this year’s New York Climate Week: affordability.
The American energy chief, Chris Wright, stated that during President Trump the United States is “reverting to commonsense energy policies that concentrate on affordability”. The previous energy secretary, Jennifer Granholm, said Democrats must focus on renewable power’s capacity to shrink power bills to win elections. And advocates of the almost certainly soon-to-be New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, promoted their efforts to connect green policies with actions to lower city residents’ rent and ensure transit cost-effective.
The attempt to tie everyday cost issues to climate change is longstanding. The concept was a central part of the progressive climate plan, a progressive 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, naming his flagship green carbon-cutting policy the Inflation Reduction Act, from 2022.
Now, as utility bills rise around the country, Americans on every part of the political spectrum are framing their energy and climate plans as methods to safeguard ordinary people’s pocketbooks.
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In Focus
Every year, Climate Week in New York City unites government officials, business representatives, scholars and activists for a vast array of environment-centered events, scheduled to coincide with the United Nations general assembly.
This year, the Trump administration’s environment-deregulating blitz cast a significant 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 saying: “The more people have gotten into supposed climate action, the more expensive their energy has become.”
Climate advocates attempted to reveal those statements as inaccurate while getting Americans to support 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 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 expected 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 essential, and right now they’re in the must-have mode,” she told reporters over avocado toast one morning. “Affordability is crucial.”
Those significantly Granholm’s progressive side also advocated a emphasis on affordability in the climate fight. But many demanded more ambitious solutions that provide more quick benefits. Instead of merely adjusting with the tax code to encourage green technology expansion – a hallmark of Biden’s climate efforts – politicians should focus on less wonky, “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 extremely 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 left-leaning 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 platform, said Hassan. On Wednesday of Climate Week, progressives assembled for a celebration at the legendary Sounds of Brazil music venue to honor the candidate’s success.
“It has long been recognized that if we’re going to build a mass movement, 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 beat of Charli xcx.
Messaging is important, but merely talking 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 deliver on his promise of reducing bills while handing massive 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 everyday folks, but then they create policies that are intended for the rich. We’ve been dealing with that frustration for a long time,” she said. “We need to concentrate on truly providing relief to people. And we see that when we genuinely prioritize people over profit, people react to that. People can tell who is sincere.”
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