President-elect Joe Biden named former Secretary of State John Kerry to be his climate change “envoy,” a new role that would not require a Senate confirmation.
The move fulfills a demand of liberal activists and environmental groups that pressed Biden to elevate a government official to address climate change full time.
“This is that signal we have been looking for,” Nat Keohane, senior vice president at the Environmental Defense Fund, told the Washington Examiner. “It’d be hard to think of a better person for this role or a clearer signal that the U.S. will reengage on climate globally and make it a central aspect of all parts of foreign policy and national security policy. Kerry brings weight, gravitas, and experience.”
Kerry’s title will be special presidential envoy for climate, and he will sit on the National Security Council, the Biden transition team said Monday afternoon.
“This marks the first time that the NSC will include an official dedicated to climate change, reflecting the president-elect’s commitment to addressing climate change as an urgent national security issue,” the transition team said.
In the Obama administration, Kerry helped negotiate the Paris climate agreement, and more recently, he founded World War Zero, a bipartisan group aiming to mobilize grassroots activism to demand action on climate change.
Biden is likely not done adding climate-focused personnel. He’s also expected soon to name a White House climate policy coordinator who will help coordinate domestic climate change policies implemented by the various federal agencies, a possibility teased by Ron Klain, Biden’s chief of staff.
