Prof. Aseem Prakash and colleague Prof. Nives Dolšak on the Forbes site ask whether, "Could a Climate Envoy with no control over domestic climate policy be effective in the international arena? Second, will this new position cause administrative confusion because there is danger of creating two de facto Secretaries of State: one for climate issues and the other for the rest of international relations?"
President-elect Biden announced that John Kerry, the former Secretary of State, will serve as his Special Presidential Envoy for Climate. In this role, he will also sit on the National Security Council, the first time climate issues have been accorded this sort of national priority. Secretary Kerry was amongst the architects of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. Given his vast experience first as a Senator and then as the Secretary of State during President Obama’s second term, he is globally recognized. If the Biden administration wants to signal America’s re-entry into global climate policy, John Kerry is the right person. Because this sort of position does not require Senate confirmation, Kerry could begin his work as soon as possible.