John Kerry to step down as US climate envoy

World 18 January, 2024 22:01

US climate envoy John Kerry plans to step down from his post by this spring, a source close to Kerry confirmed to CNN.

Kerry is leaving the position after three years at the helm of US climate diplomacy under the Biden administration. The source close to Kerry said he will still attend the World Economic Forum in January and is expected to attend the Munich Security Conference in February.

The 80-year-old former secretary of state and Democratic nominee for president led US negotiations at three international climate summits, the most recent of which was held in Dubai.

Kerry specifically prioritized restarting international climate talks between the US and China, and was key in negotiating the November Sunnylands agreement, a wide-ranging climate agreement between the two countries before COP28.

Axios first reported Kerry was stepping down and intends to join the Biden campaign. CNN has reached out to the Biden campaign and the White House for comment.

Before joining the Biden administration, Kerry had long worked on climate issues. As secretary of state, he played a key role in negotiating the Paris agreement, which was adopted by nearly 200 nations in 2015 and was aimed at addressing the negative impacts of climate change.

And in 2019, Kerry co-founded a bipartisan initiative of world leaders and celebrities to combat the climate crisis called World War Zero.

Kerry also served alongside Joe Biden in the Senate for decades. He was first elected to the Senate to represent Massachusetts in 1984 after serving as lieutenant governor of the state under Gov. Michael Dukakis.

In 2004, Kerry won the Democratic nomination for president before losing the general election to incumbent President George W. Bush. In 2009, when Biden became vice president, Kerry took over his role as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was nominated to serve as secretary of state by Barack Obama in 2012.

Kerry also served in the Navy in Vietnam as a gunboat officer on the Mekong Delta and was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts.