At formal UN press conferences, in swanky halls and at crowded progressive celebrations, one word was on all lips at this year’s Climate Week NYC: affordability.
The US energy secretary, Chris Wright, said that during President Trump the United States is “returning to commonsense energy policies that focus 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 soon-to-be New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, promoted their efforts to link green policies with efforts to cut city residents’ rent and ensure transit affordable.
The effort to tie daily cost issues to climate change is not new. The idea was a central part of the progressive climate plan, a forward-thinking policy platform championed 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, 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 ideological divide are presenting their energy and climate plans as ways to safeguard ordinary people’s finances.
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Spotlight
Every year, Climate Week in New York City unites public leaders, corporate actors, scholars and campaigners 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 campaign threw a massive shadow over the event. In appearances through the week, White House officials aimed to frame its rule-cutting agenda as a win to lower Americans’ bills, with Trump calling green energy a “scam” and Wright saying: “The more people have gotten into so-called climate action, the more expensive their energy has become.”
Climate advocates worked to expose those claims as inaccurate while getting 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 plan to accelerate new power-line construction and reinstate green energy incentives which Trump canceled earlier this year. Its title: the Cheap Energy Act.
It’s a strategy that Jennifer Granholm, who served as US energy secretary under Biden, noted she anticipated 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 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 emphasis on affordability in the climate fight. But many called for more far-reaching solutions that deliver more immediate benefits. Instead of merely tinkering with the tax code to incentivize green technology expansion – a signature of Biden’s climate efforts – politicians should prioritize less wonky, “green economic populist” initiatives 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 build up a mass base [who have] faith in public institutions and trust in the government,” Batul Hassan, labor director at the left-leaning thinktank Climate and Community Institute, remarked at a panel.
Mamdani, the socialist 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, progressives gathered for a dance party at the renowned Sounds of Brazil music venue to honor the candidate’s success.
“It has long been understood that if we’re going to create a broad coalition, people need to see the connection between the shift 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.
Communication is important, but merely speaking 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 fulfill on his promise of lowering bills while giving massive benefits to oil giants and other corporations. And many Democrats are also culpable of favoring their business backers’ interests, Avilés said.
“Some people speak about everyday folks, but then they make policies that are designed 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 center people over profit, people react to that. People can tell who is sincere.”
Further Reading:
- US energy department tightens rules on workers’ use of environmental emergency language
- Trump administration allocating $625m to resurrect dying coal industry
- Los Angeles vowed to host the Olympics without breaking the bank and environment. Can it?
