Former US Senator and Secretary of State, John Kerry, will quit the post of President Biden’s special climate envoy after three years of service. Kerry will however continue to help Biden’s re-election campaign.
This decision comes after Kerry played a significant role at the UN climate summit COP28, in Dubai, for countries to transition away from fossil fuels, a first-of-a-kind move.
On Saturday, he shared his decision with the staff after a conversation with Biden on Wednesday, according to an anonymous source familiar with the matter, as reported by Reuters. The administration has not yet decided on Kerry’s replacement.
Kerry is set to leave his position later this winter.
While serving as the Secretary of State under former Democratic President Barack Obama, Kerry played a key role in facilitating the 2015 Paris climate agreement, where nations pledged to take action against climate change.
Before that, Kerry was a Democratic senator from Massachusetts and the party’s nominee for the 2004 presidential election, ultimately losing to Republican candidate George W. Bush.
Kerry, a dedicated advocate for climate issues, was one of the initial high-ranking officials appointed by Biden, a Democrat, following his victory in the 2020 presidential election.
Biden, running for re-election in November, assigned Kerry the responsibility of reestablishing American involvement in global climate talks after the withdrawal by the previous Republican President, Donald Trump, from the Paris agreement.