Kerry will leave his post at the end of this winter, but his replacement has not yet been decided, sources say.
President Joe Biden's special climate envoy John Kerry has decided to leave his post after three years to help Biden's reelection campaign, two administration sources said Saturday.
The former US senator and secretary of state's decision comes a month after he was instrumental in helping negotiate an international agreement announced in Dubai for nations around the world to transition away from fossil fuels.
The 80-year-old Democrat informed Biden of his intentions to leave on Wednesday, and his staff learned of the decision on Saturday, those officials said.
While sources said Kerry would leave his post later this winter, they revealed that the administration has not decided who could be selected to replace him.
Kerry's plans were first reported by axios.
Biden appointed the veteran climate advocate after winning the 2020 election and was tasked with restoring American commitment to international climate negotiations after Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris Agreement.
Kerry's appointment as special envoy for climate change did not require Senate confirmation and he holds a seat on the National Security Council, marking the first time an official at that body has dedicated himself to climate issues.
In an interview with Reuters In December, after COP28, Kerry said he had not made a decision about his future, but said that whatever happens, he would not take his eyes off climate advocacy.
“I'll continue as long as God gives me the breath and I'll work on it one way or another,” Kerry said of climate advocacy.
Among Kerry's top priorities as Biden's special envoy was maintaining close diplomatic ties with China over climate change, even as many other political and trade tensions were simmering.
