Hi r/environment, this is Jake from The Guardian US. We wanted to share this story that we published today about a proposal from a group in the US that that worked with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders, seeking to counter the claim that climate policy is politically toxic.
*From our story:*
Americans [do not care](https://www.searchlightinstitute.org/research/the-first-rule-about-solving-climate-change/) about the climate crisis, only economic issues: that’s the message some wonks have put forth in the past year, as the Trump administration has dismantled environmental protections. But the shift away from climate is misguided, an influential group of progressives is arguing.
“The climate crisis is a core driver of the cost-of-living crisis and instability we see across the economy,” says a [new policy platform](https://stopgreedbuildgreen.climateandcommunity.org/posts/agenda) from left-leaning thinktank Climate and Community Institute (CCI).
The proposal, “Stop Greed, Build Green,” outlines a framework for what its authors call “green economic populism”. Decarbonization should be understood not as a competing priority to affordability, but as a potential tool for achieving it, says the group, which has written federal bills for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a representative, and Bernie Sanders, a senator, and was behind a [groundbreaking New York public power law](https://gizmodo.com/new-york-s-public-power-bill-could-be-a-model-for-the-r-1846874758).
It’s a rebuttal to the growing Washington chorus claiming climate policy is politically toxic.
The thinktank unveiled its “working-class climate agenda” at a recent New York City launch event, with speakers including Louise Yeung, Zohran Mamdani’s chief climate officer, representatives from the Democratic Socialists of America and Cornell University’s Climate Jobs Institute.
The advocates backed their proposal with new data: a recent survey by CCI and the progressive polling firm Data for Progress found that 70% of voters, including 65% of Republicans, believe climate action can lower the cost of living. That suggests working people – an audience long targeted by rightwing populists such as Donald Trump – may be receptive to green policies, they say.
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Hi r/environment, this is Jake from The Guardian US. We wanted to share this story that we published today about a proposal from a group in the US that that worked with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders, seeking to counter the claim that climate policy is politically toxic.
*From our story:*
Americans [do not care](https://www.searchlightinstitute.org/research/the-first-rule-about-solving-climate-change/) about the climate crisis, only economic issues: that’s the message some wonks have put forth in the past year, as the Trump administration has dismantled environmental protections. But the shift away from climate is misguided, an influential group of progressives is arguing.
“The climate crisis is a core driver of the cost-of-living crisis and instability we see across the economy,” says a [new policy platform](https://stopgreedbuildgreen.climateandcommunity.org/posts/agenda) from left-leaning thinktank Climate and Community Institute (CCI).
The proposal, “Stop Greed, Build Green,” outlines a framework for what its authors call “green economic populism”. Decarbonization should be understood not as a competing priority to affordability, but as a potential tool for achieving it, says the group, which has written federal bills for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a representative, and Bernie Sanders, a senator, and was behind a [groundbreaking New York public power law](https://gizmodo.com/new-york-s-public-power-bill-could-be-a-model-for-the-r-1846874758).
It’s a rebuttal to the growing Washington chorus claiming climate policy is politically toxic.
The thinktank unveiled its “working-class climate agenda” at a recent New York City launch event, with speakers including Louise Yeung, Zohran Mamdani’s chief climate officer, representatives from the Democratic Socialists of America and Cornell University’s Climate Jobs Institute.
The advocates backed their proposal with new data: a recent survey by CCI and the progressive polling firm Data for Progress found that 70% of voters, including 65% of Republicans, believe climate action can lower the cost of living. That suggests working people – an audience long targeted by rightwing populists such as Donald Trump – may be receptive to green policies, they say.
[*You can read the full story for free at this link.*](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/05/climate-crisis-working-class-economy?referring_host=Reddit&utm_campaign=guardianacct)