White House National Climate Advisor | |
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Incumbent since January 20, 2025Vacant | |
Executive Branch of the U.S. Government Executive Office of the President | |
Appointer | The President |
Deputy | Mary Repko |
The White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy (also known as the Climate Policy Office) is an office within the White House Office that is part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States. It is headed by the Assistant to the President and National Climate Advisor (also known as the White House national climate advisor), which is president's chief advisor on domestic climate change policy. [1] [2] In addition, the National Climate Advisor serves as vice-chair of the National Climate Task Force.
The Climate Policy Office differs from the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, who coordinates foreign climate policy, as well as the Senior Advisor for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation, who coordinates clean energy policy. It also differs from the Council on Environmental Quality, which assesses environmental impacts within federal agencies.
The Climate Policy Office has its roots in the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy, which was established under the administration of Barack Obama in 2008 but was folded into the United States Domestic Policy Council in 2011 after Congress refused to fund the office. Carol Browner served as the only director of this office. No equivalent office was established under the administration of Donald Trump.
The position of the National Climate Advisor was established by President Joe Biden on January 20, 2021, and the Climate Policy Office was established on January 27. On December 14, 2020, it was announced that Gina McCarthy, the former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under President Barack Obama, would serve as the first national climate advisor, as well as chair of the National Climate Task Force. [3] [4] [5] [6] Former New York deputy secretary of energy and environment, Ali Zaidi, served as the first deputy national climate advisor. [7]
On 16 September 2022, Ali Zaidi was promoted to assistant to the president and national climate advisor. [8] However, the leadership of the Task Force was reshuffled, with the Senior Advisor for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation becoming chair and National Climate Advisor moved to vice-chair. [9]
President Trump, by rescinding the establishing executive order abolished the Office of domestic climate policy. [10] [11]
No. | Portrait | Officeholder | Term start | Term end | President | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Carol Browner | January 22, 2009 | March 3, 2011 | Barack Obama | as Director of the Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy | ||
Vacant (March 3, 2011 – January 20, 2021) | |||||||
2 | Gina McCarthy | January 20, 2021 | September 16, 2022 | Joe Biden | as White House National Climate Advisor | ||
3 | Ali Zaidi | September 16, 2022 | January 20, 2025 | ||||
Vacant (January 20, 2025 – present) |
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