White House senior adviser John Podesta will add climate policy to his job responsibilities, replacing John Kerry as the top US official on international climate issues, the White House said Wednesday. Kerry announced in mid-January that he would step down as special climate envoy to work on President Biden's reelection campaign. Podesta will take over Kerry's responsibilities, though not his title, when he departs, likely this spring, the White House said. Podesta was a behind-the-scenes veteran on climate in past Democratic administrations. He was brought back to the White House last year to put into place a broad climate program revived with the $375 billion approved in the 2022 climate law, the AP reports. He also led the administration's climate task force.
Kerry's job was created by the Biden administration specifically to address climate change on the global stage. Kerry has been in the position since Biden took office in 2021. The appointment did not require confirmation by the Senate, but a law passed in 2022 requires that special envoys reporting to the secretary of state will have to win Senate approval. In a step that avoids a potential partisan fight in the Senate, Podesta was not named as climate envoy but rather a senior adviser to the president for international climate policy.
As outlined Wednesday by the White House, Podesta will continue to be involved in overseeing federal spending under the climate law, known as the Inflation Reduction Act, along with domestic climate priorities, adding the international portfolio that Kerry handled. "There is no one better than John Podesta to make sure" the US continues to "meet the gravity of this moment," White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients said, per the AP, calling Podesta "a fierce champion for bold climate action" who has served three Democratic presidents and has Biden's trust.
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