Internet mocks US climate envoy John Kerry amid decision to step down from Biden administration

WASHINGTON, DC: John Kerry, the climate envoy for US President Joe Biden, has announced his decision to step down from his post this winter to support the president's re-election campaign.

The 80-year-old former Secretary of State informed his staff of his decision on Saturday, January 13, after speaking to President Biden earlier this week.

A spokesperson for Kerry confirmed that the veteran Democrat will join the president on the campaign trail.

Kerry has been at the forefront of US climate diplomacy for three years under the Biden administration.

Despite his departure from the position, he is expected to attend key events such as the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, next week and the Munich Security Conference in February.

In his role, Kerry led US negotiations at three international climate summits, including the recent summit in Dubai.

The Senator, hailing from Massachusetts, has been instrumental in re-starting international climate talks between the US and China and was a key negotiator in the November Sunnylands agreement.

This agreement was a comprehensive climate agreement between the two countries before COP28, and is considered a significant milestone in global climate action.

Kerry's departure from his current position may have implications for US climate diplomacy going forward, but his continued involvement in key climate events suggests that he will remain a prominent figure in the global effort to address climate change.

Highlights of John Kerry’s political career

John Kerry, the former Democratic presidential candidate who lost to George W. Bush in the 2004 general election, has been serving as President Biden's chief diplomat on climate change since 2021.

As part of his role, he has been promoting Biden's ambitious green agenda and advocating for a 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, per a report from the DailyMail.

Prior to joining the Biden administration, Kerry had a long-standing interest in climate issues.

As the US Secretary of State, he played a pivotal role in negotiating the Paris Agreement, which was adopted by nearly 200 nations in 2015.

The agreement aimed to address the negative impacts of climate change and limit temperature increases to no more than two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

At the recently-concluded United Nations Climate Change Conference, Kerry was instrumental in securing a deal for countries around the world to phase out fossil fuels.

In July last year, he visited Beijing and negotiated with the Chinese government to restart climate talks.

This was a significant achievement, given that the United States and China are the world's two largest polluters, and the Head of State for China, Xi Jinping has advocated for countries to determine their own climate policies.

In addition to his work on climate change, Kerry co-founded a bipartisan initiative in 2019 called World War Zero, which brought together world leaders and celebrities to combat the climate crisis.

Kerry has a long and distinguished career in public service serving alongside Joe Biden in the Senate for many years, representing Massachusetts from 1984.

After losing the presidential election in 2004, Kerry took over Biden's role as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee when Biden became Vice President under former President Barack Obama.

Kerry was nominated to serve as United States Secretary of State by Barack Obama back in 2012.

Kerry's military service is also noteworthy having served in the US Navy during the Vietnam War as a gunboat officer on the Mekong Delta and was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts, per a report from CNN.

It is worth noting that special envoys, such as Kerry, must now be confirmed by the Senate under a provision in the 2022 defense policy.

Although a replacement for Kerry has not been named, the nominee is likely to face a challenging confirmation process and scrutiny from Republicans.

Internet ridicules John Kerry as he steps down from his role in Biden administration

People on X expressed their immediate reactions to the news of top climate diplomat John Kerry resigning from his role in the current administration.

One X user remarked: “It’s for the best."

Another user said: "Good, cause NOTHING has been done in over 40 freakin' years! Time for fresh real leadership."

Another user quipped: "He should speed up with that."

One user wrote: "Can’t say I’m going to cry about this."

Another X user remarked: "Oh no, how will the world survive without John Kerry’s climate expertise?!"

Finally, this user tweeted: "Good... I don't he's done a very good job at it. How we allowed members of OPEC to run the most recent climate conference is a total joke. We need to start taking action NOW... actually, we needed to START taking action a few decades ago, but now it's becoming an emergency."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.