John Kerry. File photo.
John Kerry, the top US climate diplomat, intends to step down after more than three years relentlessly pressing countries to get more aggressive in the fight against global warming, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
The former US secretary of state, senator from Massachusetts and Democratic presidential nominee will transition outside the federal government in coming weeks, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the announcement wasn’t public.
Kerry, 80, plans to help the Biden reelection campaign, Axios reported. The White House didn’t comment on the development. The State Department declined to comment.
Kerry has been tackling climate change for decades, taking part in the first UN summit on the issue in 1992.
But for the last three years he’s been Joe Biden’s chief emissary on the issue, serving as a special presidential envoy for climate and ringing the world in pursuit of regional deals to advance clean energy and drive emissions cuts.
Kerry has made clear he won’t abandon the climate fight, even when he leaves government.
The decision means he can devote more time to pressing for favorable policies, projects and politicians. That may include helping to stoke more support for Biden’s reelection, as the president works to court young, climate-minded voters.
Kerry’s decision to leave the post follows UN climate negotiations in Dubai that produced a landmark agreement to transition away from fossil fuels that are contributing to planetary warming.
It’s not clear who might replace Kerry, a seasoned politician and diplomat who brought unusual gravitas to his role as the country’s chief international climate negotiator. Previously, the job has been held by bureaucrats who are steeped in diplomacy but lack the same high profile.
Kerry has enjoyed relatively easy access to Biden and shares a camaraderie with the president built during their shared service in the Senate.
He’s also known around the world from his years as secretary of state - a status that facilitates his very personal brand of diplomacy, forged through relationships with world leaders.
In 2014, Kerry’s talks with China helped propel a joint statement on climate that laid the foundation for the landmark Paris Agreement a year later.
And even as tensions over human rights, intellectual property and Taiwan complicated Washington’s relationship with Beijing, he has spoken optimistically about the opportunity for the US and China to find common ground and make progress on climate change.
