"With John Kerry Pick, Biden Selects a ‘Climate Envoy’ With Stature"

"Mr. Biden said he would name Mr. Kerry to a cabinet-level climate post, a role laden with political and diplomatic challenges in the post-Trump era."

"WASHINGTON — When John Kerry served as President Barack Obama’s secretary of state, he helped steer the negotiation of the Paris Agreement on climate change, locking down commitments from nearly 200 nations — including his own — to begin to reverse the dangerous warming of the planet.

Now his diplomatic task may be even tougher.

On Monday, President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. said he would name Mr. Kerry his special presidential envoy for climate, creating a new cabinet-level position. In that role, Mr. Kerry will need to convince skeptical global leaders — burned by the Trump administration’s hostility toward climate science and its rejection of the 2015 Paris Agreement — that the United States not only is prepared to resume its leadership role but will also stay the course, regardless of the Biden administration’s future."

Lisa Friedman reports for the New York Times November 23, 2020.

SEE ALSO:

"Biden Names John Kerry Climate Envoy" (E&E News)

"Biden Names Kerry As U.S. Climate Envoy, Emphasizing Diplomacy's Role In The Issue" (Reuters)

"Biden’s Appointment of John Kerry as Climate Envoy Sends a ‘Signal to the World,’ Advocates Say" (InsideClimate News)

"Biden Names John Kerry As Presidential Climate Envoy" (Washington Post)

 

Source: NYTimes, 11/24/2020