John Kerry is expected to leave his Climate Czar post so that he can help Joe Biden win his presidential re-election. Three sources confirmed to be close to Kerry revealed the news; however, the White House has yet to confirm the departure.
On November 23, 2020, then-President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team announced that Kerry would be taking a full-time position in the administration, serving as a special envoy for climate. As a Climate Czar, Kerry serves as a principal on the National Security Council to drive climate policy on the world stage.
In July 2023, Kerry visited China for advance climate cooperation. The meeting had mixed results; while Kerry was seeking a reduction of China’s methane production and reliance on coal, China expressed objections to the U.S. restrictions on trade of Chinese solar panels and battery components.
At the end of July 2023, Kerry visited India where he declared that the United States will be committed to the target of delivering $100 billion dollars for climate action to low income countries, adding that no future U.S. president would be able to retreat from such climate commitment. At the time, Kerry criticized former President Donald Trump for leaving the Paris agreement prior to Biden returning to it.
Source close to Kerry say he will continue to attend the World Economic Forum in January and the Munich Security Conference in February.
In 2019, Kerry co-founded coalition of world leaders and celebrities to combat what they describe as a “climate crisis” called World War Zero. Some believe a “climate crisis” exists today due to the possibility that humankind’s impacts, namely with fossil fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions, is altering climate. While scientists continue to debate the merits of such a concern, the current administration embraces the idea while the last completely rejected it. The outcome of the ’24 Presidential Election will determine what role, if any, the White House will play in such climate concerns moving into the future.
