The United States special presidential envoy for climate is a position in the

Executive Office of the President of the United States The Executive Office of the President (EOP) comprises the offices and agencies that support the work of the president at the center of the executive branch of the United States federal government. The EOP consists of several offices and agenc ...

with authority over

energy policy Energy policy is the manner in which a given entity (often governmental) has decided to address issues of energy development including energy conversion, distribution and use as well as reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in order to contri ...

and

climate policy The politics of climate change results from different perspectives on how to respond to climate change. Global warming is driven largely by the emissions of greenhouse gases due to human economic activity, especially the burning of fossil fuels, ...

within the executive branch. It is currently held by

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party (Unite ...

, who is the inaugural envoy.

History

On November 23, 2020, President-elect Joe Biden announced former U.S. Secretary of State

, would serve as the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate and would be a member of the

United States National Security Council The United States National Security Council (NSC) is the principal forum used by the President of the United States for consideration of national security, military, and foreign policy matters. Based in the White House, it is part of the Execu ...

(NSC). The term "Climate Czar" has been used to informally describe Kerry's position. There had been one previous climate policy advisor in the White House, Carol Browner, who was director of the now-defunct White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy from 2009 to 2011. In particular, the new position will be 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 National security, or national defence, is the security and defence of a sovereign state, including its citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived as protection against military atta ...

Foreign visits

*April 2021: Envoy John Kerry became the first senior official of the Biden administration to visit

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. Discussed issues included the recent decision by Japan to dump radioactive water of the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific.

List of Envoys

References

{{United States government agencies involved in environmental science Executive Office of the President of the United States Energy policy of the United States Climate change policy in the United States 2021 establishments in the United States Presidency of Joe Biden

History

Foreign visits

List of Envoys

See also

References