Make Eco-Friendly Powerful Once More: Could Appeals to the Wallet Make Climate Policy an Winning Issue?

At stuffy UN press conferences, in swanky auditoriums and at sticky progressive dance parties, one word was on everyone’s minds at this year’s Climate Week NYC: cost-effectiveness.

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 former energy secretary, Jennifer Granholm, emphasized Democrats must center on renewable power’s ability to reduce power bills to win elections. And supporters of the almost certainly future New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, trumpeted their initiatives to connect green policies with actions to lower city residents’ rent and make transit affordable.

The attempt to tie daily cost issues to global warming is longstanding. The concept was a central part of the Green New Deal, 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, 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 political spectrum are framing their energy and climate plans as methods to safeguard everyday citizens’ pocketbooks.

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Spotlight

Annually, Climate Week in New York City unites government officials, corporate actors, scholars and campaigners for a wide range of climate-focused events, timed to coincide 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 aimed to peg its deregulatory agenda as a win to reduce Americans’ bills, with Trump labeling green energy a “scam” 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 persuading Americans on board with green policies on the grounds that they can cut costs. For instance, two Democratic representatives, from Illinois and California, introduced a proposal to accelerate new power-line construction and restore green energy incentives which Trump canceled earlier this year. Its title: the Cheap Energy Act.

It’s a framework that Jennifer Granholm, who acted as US energy secretary under Biden, noted she anticipated 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 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 crucial.”

Those significantly 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 tinkering with the tax code to encourage green technology buildout – a signature of Biden’s climate efforts – politicians should focus on less technical, “green economic populist” campaigns 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 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 achieved a stunning win in the New York City mayoral primary this summer, represents this kind of platform, said Hassan. On Wednesday of Climate Week, progressives assembled for a dance party at the legendary Sounds of Brazil music venue to honor the candidate’s success.

“It has long been understood that if we’re going to create a mass movement, people need to see the connection between the transition to renewable energy and paying 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 insufficient, Alexa Avilés, a New York City council member and progressive, told the Guardian at the Mamdani event. Trump, for instance, has not delivered to deliver on his promise of lowering bills while handing huge benefits to oil giants and other corporations. And many Democrats are also culpable of favoring their corporate donors’ interests, Avilés said.

“Some people speak about everyday folks, but then they create policies that are designed 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 really prioritize people over profit, people respond to that. People can discern who is for real.”

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