From Day One, President Biden defined the climate crisis as the existential threat of our time that required a global effort to put the world on a safer climate trajectory.  In his time as Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, Secretary Kerry  — with characteristic passion, diplomatic acumen, and tireless focus — ensured that the United States not only rejoined that effort but once again led it.

“We’ve made historic progress these last three years and I know that, in his new role as @POTUS Biden’s Senior Advisor for International Climate Policy, John Podesta will continue to grow the momentum from Glasgow, Sharm el-Sheikh, and Dubai,” Kerry wrote on X.

“In three years, Secretary Kerry has tirelessly trekked around the world — bringing American climate leadership back from the brink and marshaling countries around the world to take historic action to confront the climate crisis,” White House chief of staff Jeff Zients said in a statement announcing the move. “We need to keep meeting the gravity of this moment, and there is no one better than John Podesta to make sure we do.”

President Biden’s appointment of John Podesta to continue to lead our global climate efforts demonstrates the President’s steadfast commitment to tackling the climate crisis – and reflects his belief that we have not a moment to lose.  John has played–and will continue to play—a lead role in restoring U.S. domestic leadership on climate, including leading the Administration’s implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act, the single largest investment to tackle climate change in history. 

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John is a key architect of turning President Biden’s bold vision – that tackling the climate crisis also represents the single biggest economic opportunity of our time – into a reality here at home.  These efforts have not only put the United States in a strong position to achieve our climate goals, but have also unleashed a clean manufacturing boom that has inspired a domestic and global resurgence in clean energy investment and good-paying jobs. 

As he assumes his new role, John will bring both a deep understanding – and a proven model – for how countries around the world can enhance their ambition while unlocking a new era of clean, inclusive, and resilient economic growth.  John’s efforts and experience will be critical as countries around the world develop their next round of enhanced emissions targets, which are due early next year, as well as work to build out the global clean energy supply chains necessary for achieving our shared climate goals.

“Anyone who willfully denies the impact of climate change is condemning the American people to a very dangerous future,” Mr. Biden said about the assessment at the time. “The impacts we’re seeing are only going to get worse, more frequent, more ferocious, and more costly.”