U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate

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Special Presidential Envoy for
Climate of the
United States
Incumbent
Vacant
United States Department of State
TypeSpecial Presidential Envoy
StatusNot Confirmed
Member ofUnited States National Security Council (NSC)
Reports toPresident of the United States
AppointerPresident of the United States
Term lengthThe pleasure of the president
Inaugural holderJohn Kerry
FormationJanuary 20, 2021
WebsiteOfficial website

The United States special presidential envoy for climate (SPEC) was a position within the U.S. Department of State responsible for "leading U.S. diplomacy to address the climate crisis" during Joe Biden's presidency.[1] The special envoy was a member of The Principals Committee of the National Security Council, reporting directly to the President.[2]

In April 2025, under Donald Trump's second administration, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the position had been abolished.[3][4]

History

[edit]
See also: Energy Czar

There had been previous climate policy advisors in the White House fulfilling similar roles. Carol Browner was director of the now-defunct White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy from 2009 to 2011.[5] Barack Obama had appointed Todd Stern to the role of special envoy for climate change in 2009. Stern later served as U.S. chief negotiator for the Paris Agreement.[6] Following Stern's departure in mid-2016, Jonathan Pershing took over as US climate envoy until the end of the administration.[7][8]

In November 2020, President-elect Joe Biden announced former Secretary of State John Kerry would serve in a newly created role as the first Special Presidential Envoy for Climate. This new position made him a member of the United States National Security Council (NSC). It was the first time that the NSC would have an official dedicated to climate change issues and to addressing the climate crisis as one affecting national security.[9][10][11][12]

The term "Climate Czar" was used informally to describe Kerry's position. [13]

On January 13, 2024, sources close to Kerry revealed that he would leave this position by the upcoming spring.[14][15] Later that month, it was announced that John Podesta would succeed John Kerry as envoy.[16]

Since Trump's second inauguration in January 2025, the position has been left vacant.

Foreign visits

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  • March 2023: London, Paris
  • June 2023: Paris, Rome
  • July 2023: China, during 2023 Asia heat wave that set a new record of 52.2 °C (126.0 °F) in Sanbu, Xinjiang, China, which Kerry mentioned in particular.[19][20]

List of envoys

[edit]
No. Portrait Officeholder Term start Term end President
1 John Kerry January 20, 2021 March 6, 2024 Joe Biden
2 John Podesta March 6, 2024 January 20, 2025

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate". www.congress.gov. Retrieved September 26, 2025.
  2. ^ Friedman, Lisa (November 23, 2020). "With John Kerry Pick, Biden Selects a 'Climate Envoy' With Stature (Published 2020)". The New York Times. Retrieved September 26, 2025.
  3. ^ "Overhaul of US State Department eliminates climate envoy and war crimes offices". France 24. April 22, 2025. Retrieved September 26, 2025.
  4. ^ "Rubio eliminates office that oversees climate talks". POLITICO. April 27, 2025. Retrieved September 26, 2025.
  5. ^ Sullivan, Kate (November 24, 2020). "Biden prioritizes climate crisis by naming John Kerry special envoy". CNN.
  6. ^ "Statement by the President on the Paris Climate Agreement". whitehouse.gov. December 12, 2015. Retrieved September 26, 2025.
  7. ^ "Statement on the Departure of U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd Stern and the Appointment of Jonathan Pershing". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved September 26, 2025.
  8. ^ "No. 2 Climate Diplomat to Leave Post (Published 2022)". January 21, 2022. Retrieved September 26, 2025.
  9. ^ "President-Elect Biden Announces Key Members of Foreign Policy and National Security Team" (Press release). November 23, 2020. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020. Former Secretary of State John Kerry will fight climate change full-time as Special Presidential Envoy for Climate and will sit on the National Security Council. This marks the first time that the NSC would include an official dedicated to climate change, reflecting the president-elect's commitment to addressing climate change as an urgent national security issue.
  10. ^ Schlanger, Zoë (March 4, 2024). "Goodbye to Biden's First Climate Envoy". The Atlantic. Retrieved September 26, 2025.
  11. ^ Merica, Dan; Sullivan, Kate (December 15, 2020). "Biden to name Gina McCarthy to top domestic climate job". CNN. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  12. ^ "Biden cabinet: John Kerry named climate envoy as inner circle get key posts". BBC News. November 23, 2020. Retrieved September 26, 2025.
  13. ^ Rachel Frazin, Zack Budryk (January 31, 2024). "Podesta to replace Kerry as Biden climate czar". The Hill. Archived from the original on November 23, 2024. Retrieved September 26, 2025.
  14. ^ Kim, Seun Min (January 13, 2024). "John Kerry, the US climate envoy, to leave the Biden administration". Associated Press.
  15. ^ Joselow, Maxine; Pager, Tyler (January 13, 2024). "John Kerry to step down as top U.S. climate change negotiator". Washington Post. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  16. ^ Joselow, Maxine (January 31, 2024). "John Podesta to succeed John Kerry as top U.S. climate diplomat". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  17. ^ "What's at Stake in U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry's Trip to China". Time magazine. April 15, 2021.
  18. ^ "S.Korea, U.S. show differences over Japan's Fukushima plans". Reuters. April 18, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  19. ^ Cheng, Evelyn (July 18, 2023). "Kerry upholds U.S.-China 'stability' in symbolic Beijing visit". CNBC. Archived from the original on July 18, 2023. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  20. ^ Graham-Harrison, Emma (July 17, 2023). "US climate envoy meets Chinese counterpart on hottest ever day in China". The Guardian. Retrieved August 4, 2023.