Joe Biden has picked John Kerry to lead his team's effort to combat climate change.
Kerry, a former senator from Massachusetts and Democratic presidential nominee, made climate change one of his top priorities while serving as Obama’s secretary of state. If nominated, he will be a member of the National Security Council, the forum's first member dedicated to the issue of climate change.
Many news outlets have called the race for Biden. Newsmax has yet to project a winner, citing close races in key battleground states. President Donald Trump has not conceded.
Since leaving government in 2017, Kerry has been critical of Trump’s dismantling of climate policies and the decision to remove the United States from the Paris agreement. Biden has vowed to re-enter the Paris deal.
“America will soon have a government that treats the climate crisis as the urgent national security threat it is,” Kerry said.
“I’m proud to partner with the president-elect, our allies, and the young leaders of the climate movement to take on this crisis as the president’s climate envoy.”
Biden in a statement said the U.S. has "no time to lose when it comes to our national security and foreign policy.
“I need a team ready on Day 1 to help me reclaim America’s seat at the head of the table, rally the world to meet the biggest challenges we face, and advance our security, prosperity, and values. This is the crux of that team.”
“These individuals are equally as experienced and crisis-tested as they are innovative and imaginative” he added. “Their accomplishments in diplomacy are unmatched, but they also reflect the idea that we cannot meet the profound challenges of this new moment with old thinking and unchanged habits — or without diversity of background and perspective. It’s why I’ve selected them.”
Kerry in 2019 formed a bipartisan coalition of world leaders, military brass and Hollywood celebrities to push for public action to combat climate change.
Alejandro Mayorkas will be nominated as the secretary for the department of homeland security.