Make green great again: Can appeals to the wallet make climate policy an election-winner?

<p>In this week’s newsletter: At a major gathering in New York, climate advocates say that language has to change</p><p>• <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global/2022/sep/20/sign-up-for-the-down-to-earth-newsletter-our-free-environmental-email">Don’t get Down to Earth delivered to your inbox? Sign up here</a></p><p>At stuffy United Nations press conferences, in swanky auditoriums and at sticky socialist dance parties, one word was on everyone’s lips at this year’s Climate Week NYC: affordability.</p><p>The US energy secretary, Chris Wright, said under that under President Trump the United States is “returning to commonsense energy policies that focus on affordability”. The former energy secretary, Jennifer Granholm, said Democrats must focus on renewable power’s ability to shrink power bills to win elections. And supporters 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.</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/01/revealed-europe-losing-600-football-pitches-of-nature-and-crop-land-a-day">Revealed: Europe losing 600 football pitches of nature and crop land a day</a></strong></p><p><strong><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/01/fracking-ban-uk-labour-counter-reform-promise">UK fracking ban to be brought forward as Labour counters Reform promise</a></strong></p><p><strong><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/sep/27/israel-ecocide-gaza-bombs-agricultural-land-genocide">Israel’s ecocide in Gaza sends this message: even if we stopped dropping bombs, you couldn’t live here | George Monbiot</a></strong></p><p><strong><a href="https://w