White House senior adviser John Podesta will soon replace special climate envoy John Kerry in his role to oversee international climate issues.
Kerry, who has long traveled across the globe warning countries, including China, to reduce the production of fossil fuels and limit carbon emissions, will step down from the position after being offered a spot in President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign.
In a statement, White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients announced that Podesta would replace Kerry as the Biden administration’s special climate envoy.
“We need to keep meeting the gravity of this moment, and there is no one better than John Podesta to make sure we do,” Zients said. “John has — and will continue to be — at the helm of driving the implementation of the most significant climate law in history.”
Kerry played a massive role in securing the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement under then-President Barack Obama.
Under Biden, Kerry has served as the top U.S. climate diplomat for three years and will soon work for the president’s reelection campaign.
In January 2024, Kerry reportedly told his staff that he would be working overtime to ensure that Biden wins the 2024 presidential election against his likely challenger, former President Donald Trump.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, Kerry congratulated Podesta.
“We’ve made historic progress these last three years and I know that, in his new role as @POTUS Biden’s Senior Advisor for International Climate Policy, John Podesta will continue to grow the momentum from Glasgow, Sharm el-Sheikh, and Dubai,” Kerry wrote.
We've made historic progress these last three years and I know that, in his new role as @POTUS Biden’s Senior Advisor for International Climate Policy, John Podesta will continue to grow the momentum from Glasgow, Sharm el-Sheikh, and Dubai.https://t.co/TCPRSlmgQK
— Special Presidential Envoy John Kerry (@ClimateEnvoy) January 31, 2024
Podesta currently oversees the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, which, unlike the name suggests, does nothing to tackle runaway inflation in the U.S. The law has directed billions of dollars to speed America’s isolation from fossil fuels and move the country closer toward clean energy.
Before managing energy-related spending in Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, Podesta served as a top climate adviser to Obama and was actively involved in negotiations that delivered the Paris Climate Accords.
Podesta served as chairman of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and worked as White House chief of staff for then-President Bill Clinton.
