John Kerry steps down from Biden administration

Angle down iconAn icon in the shape of an angle pointing down. John Kerry, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, attends day thirteen of the UNFCCC COP28 Climate Conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Fadel Dawod/Getty Images

• John Kerry stepped down as special envoy on climate on Saturday. 
• Biden brought on Kerry in 2020 to serve in the National Security Council's first climate position. 
• Kerry worked internationally, especially with China, to promote US climate goals.

NEW LOOK

Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read preview

Email address

By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You can opt-out at any time.

John Kerry, the US special envoy on climate, is stepping down from the Biden administration in the coming weeks, according to two people familiar with his plans.

The New York Times, citing a person familiar with the matter, reported that Kerry handed his resignation to President Joe Biden on Wednesday. The State Department confirmed the news to the Times.

Staff expected his resignation in the coming months, and there is speculation that the climate envoy will join Biden for his presidential campaign, the Times reported.

Kerry, a longtime senator and secretary of state, was tapped shortly after Biden's November 2020 election to take on the new role created specifically to fight climate change on behalf of the administration on the global stage.

His role as the Special Presidential Envoy for the National Security Council marked the first climate-specific position at the agency.

Kerry's departure plans were first reported Saturday by Axios.

Kerry was one of the leading drafters of the 2015 Paris Climate Accords and came into the role with significant experience abroad, as secretary of state during the Obama administration and for nearly three decades as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Biden's decision to tap Kerry for the post was seen as one way the incoming president was making good on his campaign pledge to battle climate change in a more forceful and visible manner than in previous administrations.

During his tenure with the Biden administration, Kerry was often seen working with China on climate goals and encouraged the US to work with China to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

In November, Kerry reached an agreement with the country to increase production of renewable energy sources but was unable to convince the government to abandon coal-fired power plants — though Kerry stayed positive that this would change.

"The climate crisis is a universal threat to humankind and we all have a responsibility to deal with it as rapidly as we can," Kerry said in a visit to Beijing last summer, when he met with Vice President Han Zheng on climate matters.

Kerry represented Massachusetts for 28 years in the Senate and was also the Democratic presidential nominee in 2004.

"John Kerry's tireless work to deliver global progress on the climate crisis has been heroic," former Vice President Al Gore, who has focused primarily on climate in his post-public office life, said in a statement Saturday. "He has approached this challenge with bold vision, resolute determination, and the urgency that this crisis demands. For that the US and the whole world owe him a huge debt of gratitude."

The State Department and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.