Topline
John Kerry is leaving his position as U.S. climate envoy in the coming months, after three years on the job, multiple outlets reported Saturday, though he is expected to have a role in Biden’s reelection effort.
FILE – John Kerry, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, speaks during a news conference at … [+] the COP28 U.N. Climate Summit, Dec. 6, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Kerry is stepping down from the Biden administration in the coming weeks, according to two people familiar with his plans. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)
Key Facts
Kerry informed President Joe Biden of his plans this week, and plans to focus his climate efforts on helping Biden’s reelection campaign, reported Axios, which first broke the news.
He’s still planning on attending the World Economic Forum in Davos and will work full-time until his exit, Axios reported.
The Washington Post reported the exact date of Kerry’s departure has not yet been set, though it will be some time between late February and late April.
A source told Axios that Kerry believes the “single biggest” difference that can be made for progress on climate is reelecting Biden.
Forbes has contacted the Department of State for comment.
Key Background
Kerry, 80, took over the role of climate envoy more than three years ago, but previously played a major role in addressing climate change as former President Barack Obama’s secretary of state. In that role, he helped establish the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015, and then took over the role of climate envoy as the Biden administration sought to rejoin the accord in 2021, after the Trump administration withdrew from it. Kerry is also credited with helping restart talks between the U.S. and China on climate change. Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, served as a senator from Massachusetts from 1985 until 2013.
Tangent
The world had its hottest year on record in 2023, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. Copernicus said that 2023 was 1.48°C warmer than the average temperature in pre-industrial times—just shy of the 1.5°C threshold established as a ceiling in the Paris climate agreement.
Further Reading
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