Longtime Democratic operative John Podesta is set to replace John Kerry as the US special climate envoy this spring while retaining his other advisory roles, the Washington Post learned on Wednesday. Biden White House officials confirmed that Podesta will be working at the White House rather than the State Department, and will adopt the official title of “senior adviser to the president for international climate policy.”
Currently, Podesta is in charge of implementing the “Inflation Reduction Act,” which the Post sees as Biden’s “signature climate law” due to its earmarking of billions of dollars for the country’s transition to wind, solar, and other weather-dependent energy sources. When Podesta worked in the Obama White House, he provided counsel for the 2015 Paris climate agreement. He also served in the Clinton administration as the Chief of Staff, overseeing environmental policies.
“Secretary Kerry has put the US back in leadership on climate around the world,” Podesta told the Post over a phone call. “And we’ll ensure that we keep up the momentum that has been built up through his efforts.” While he did not set a date, Podesta indicated he will be stepping into the role between the beginning of March and the end of April.
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JUST IN – Biden will tap John Podesta to replace outgoing U.S. "special climate envoy" John Kerry — WaPo pic.twitter.com/n6N8nCHxyY
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According to the Post, the Biden administration is feeling pressured to pass as many climate regulations as it can before a hypothetical Trump victory in November. As Valuetainment previously reported, Trump leads Biden in every single swing-state, as the immigration issue catapults him ahead.
Podesta said he plans to continue his efforts to ramp up domestic lean energy production and will likely travel abroad less than Kerry. Nevertheless, he will certainly be tasked with visiting leaders in Asia and Europe to negotiate on carbon limits and other items. Podesta said he will lean on his staffers at the White House to continue administering the multi-billion Inflation Reduction disbursements.
Biden White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients had nothing but positive words for Kerry, praising his jet-setting climate conference circuit and his efforts to corral “countries around the world to take historic action to confront the climate crisis.” But he also had praise for Podesta:
“We need to keep meeting the gravity of this moment, and there is no one better than John Podesta to make sure we do… [he will continue to be] at the helm of driving the implementation of the most significant climate law in history. Having served the three most recent Democratic Presidents over three decades, he is an American statesman, a fierce champion for bold climate action, and a leader who without a doubt the world will know has the trust of and speaks for the President of the United States.”
John Podesta is well-known in online circles for having his emails hacked by Julian Assange’s WikiLeaks in 2016 ahead of the historic showdown between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. The release of thousands of DNC emails due to Podesta’s negligence sparked the “Pizza Gate” conspiracy theory and was cited by many in the mainstream media as a deciding factor in the election.
Shane Devine is a writer covering politics, economics, and culture for Valuetainment. Follow Shane on X (Twitter).
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