White House senior adviser John Podesta will replace John Kerry as U.S. special climate change envoy, a White House official said Wednesday.

What You Need To Know

  • The White House announced senior adviser John Podesta will replace John Kerry as U.S. special climate change envoy

  • In early January, Kerry said he would step down from the role to work on President Biden's reelection campaign

  • Podesta will oversee the continued implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act

  • He will also lead the Biden administration's international climate policy agenda

Kerry announced earlier this month that he would step down from the top climate job to work on President Joe Biden's reelection campaign. Podesta would start when Kerry departs, the official said.

Podesta was a behind-the-scenes veteran on climate in past Democratic administrations and was brought back to the White House last year to put into place an ambitious U.S. climate program newly revived by $375 billion from Congress. He also led the administration's climate task force.

The job he will assume was created by the Biden administration specifically to fight climate change on behalf of the administration on the global stage. Kerry has been in the position since 2020.

"In three years, Secretary Kerry has tirelessly trekked around the world bringing American climate leadership back from the brink and marshalling countries around the world to take historic action to confront the climate crisis," White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients said in a statement. "We need to keep meeting the gravity of this moment, and there is no one better than John Podesta to make sure we do."

Zients said Podesta was uniquely qualified to serve in the role, having served under Biden as well as former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton as "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.” 

Podesta will work with the State Department to lead the Biden administration's international climate policy agenda, a White House official said. He will also oversee the continued implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act, Biden's landmark health care and tax reform bill which includes the largest legislative investment to fight climate change in U.S. history.

The White House official said that Podesta will continue working with the group implementing the IRA's clean energy profisions, which they credited with unleashing "a clean energy boom" and creating more than 210,000 new jobs and $365 billion in private sector investments since Biden took office.

"In John’s role as Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy, he will continue to oversee the talented team implementing the Inflation Reduction Act," the official said. "John will dedicate a significant amount of time to international climate policy – working in coordination with the strong team at the State Department – representing the United States as a fierce champion for bold climate action."