United States President-elect Joe Biden has named former Secretary of State John Kerry as special climate envoy, a sign that Mr Biden is putting the climate issue at the centre of his foreign policy.
Mr Kerry, whose appointment does not require US Senate confirmation, will have a seat on the National Security Council in the White House, the Presidential transition team said.
Reuters Newsagency reports it marks the first time an official in that body will be dedicated to the climate issue.
Mr Biden has pledged to reverse course on climate from President Donald Trump, who doubts mainstream climate science.
President Trump pulled the US out of the 2015 United Nations sponsored Paris Agreement on climate, and dismantled President Barack Obama’s climate and environmental regulations to boost drilling, mining and manufacturing.
While secretary of state under former President Obama, Mr Kerry, 76, called climate change “the world’s most fearsome weapon of mass destruction.”
In travels from glaciers in Greenland to the Solomon Islands, Mr Kerry has emphasised cooperation on tackling climate change.
Reuters reports he will face a challenging task gaining the world’s trust after President Trump’s rejection of climate diplomacy.
As President Trump blasted the Paris Agreement as being too expensive for Americans, China, the world’s top greenhouse gas emitter, positioned itself as a catalyst on climate, announcing new targets in September to cut pollution.
Before the landmark Paris Agreement, Mr Kerry pushed for China and the US, the world’s second-leading emitter, to agree on emissions targets and work toward a global deal.
Mr Kerry, who was also a long-time liberal senator from Massachusetts and 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, will likely get a quick start as Mr Biden has pledged to rejoin the Paris Agreement soon after he comes into office.
Unlike President Trump, President-elect Biden believes climate change puts national security at risk because it leads to regional instability and requires more humanitarian missions by the US military.
Reuters reports the Biden administration, which takes office on January 20, will likely help push countries to transition away from coal, oil and natural gas, develop renewable power and advanced batteries, and conserve delicate ecosystems like forests.
The job will require Mr Kerry to go beyond advocating for action under the UN framework for climate.
“He is very well aware that the remit for the next few years is not to sit in big UN negotiation halls putting the final touches on the Paris rule book but rallying the world around key action areas,” said Paul Bodnar, a senior director for energy and climate under President Obama.
Mr Kerry will also likely work with a counterpart in the White House, expected to be announced soon, focused on domestic climate issues.
Late last year, Mr Kerry launched World War Zero, a bipartisan group of world leaders and celebrities to combat climate change.
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