John Kerry to step down as US climate envoy

Washington, Jan 14

US climate envoy John Kerry is reportedly planning to step down from his role and work on President Joe Biden's re-election campaign.

80-year-old Kerry, President Biden's special envoy for climate, plans to step down by spring, ending a three-year run in a major diplomatic role that was created especially for him and which will face an uncertain future with his departure, The New York Times reported.

He led the US negotiating team through three United Nations climate summits, reasserting American leadership after the country withdrew from the Paris climate agreement during the Trump administration.

Kerry championed cooperation on global warming between the US and China, the world’s two largest polluters, during times of tension, the media outlet reported.

As Secretary of State under former President Barack Obama, Kerry was key to brokering the crucial 2015 Paris climate agreement.

That deal saw nearly the whole world for the first time support a common strategy to cut the greenhouse gas emissions which cause global warming, the BBC reported.