John Kerry, US climate envoy, a key role within the US administration in the fight against climate change, will resign from his post in order to contribute to the campaign for the re-election of President Joe Biden, reported Saturday 13 January from the American media. The resignation of Mr. Kerry, 80, is expected to take effect by spring, according to the New York Times.
Since 2021, the former Secretary of State and Democratic senator has been linking with other countries in order to obtain commitments in the fight against climate change, notably during the last United Nations climate summit, COP28. , which was held in Dubai.
John Kerry intends to take part in Joe Biden’s campaign by publicizing the president’s work in the fight against global warming, according to several American media outlets citing officials familiar with the matter. He informed the president of his intention to leave on Wednesday, and his team learned of his decision on Saturday, these media reported.
Effective cooperation with China
The former secretary of state led the American delegation to three United Nations climate summits but also worked effectively with China, despite complicated diplomatic relations.
In a rare show of unity, the United States and China, alone responsible for 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions, sealed a historic, albeit watered-down, agreement in December at COP28. to start abandoning oil, gas and coal, the main culprits of the global climate crisis.
Mr. Kerry had hosted his Chinese counterpart, Xie Zhenhua, a month earlier in California, where the two countries agreed on climate action outlines that partly served as the basis for the deal of Dubai involving nearly 200 countries. The news of John Kerry’s resignation comes a day after the announcement of Xie Zhenhua’s retirement.
