Biden's top climate advisor Gina McCarthy will step down
Source: CNN Politics
(CNN) President Joe Biden will announce Friday that White House National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy is leaving her post, an administration official familiar with the plans told CNN. McCarthy -- one of two top climate officials appointed by Biden at the start of his administration -- had long been expected to stay in her position for about a year, but continued for months beyond to help see through Democrats' historic climate legislation, which Biden signed in August.
She will be succeeded by Ali Zaidi, the official said, who had been McCarthy's deputy since the start of the Biden administration. Biden's other top climate official, US Climate Envoy John Kerry, is expected to stay in his post through the UN climate summit this fall. McCarthy was the head of the Environmental Protection Agency under former President Barack Obama and was a key architect of that administration's Clean Power Plan. In the Biden administration, McCarthy was tasked with setting up a first-of-its-kind White House office to coordinate climate action across agencies.
"Her legacy is going to be that she set up the president and the fed government for the most aggressive climate action in the history of the US," said Christy Goldfuss, senior vice president for energy and environment policy at the Center for American Progress. "All of that will be what she's most proud of and most remembered for. Those positions will stick around, and the structure she helped drive will be needed long into the future."
As much as McCarthy greased the wheels for climate action across agencies, the White House's most significant win on climate came through Congress last month in the Inflation Reduction Act, which contains $370 billion in new clean energy tax credits and climate provisions -- a historic amount of climate spending and the most significant environmental legislation since the landmark Clean Air Act.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/02/politics/gina-mccarthy-steps-down-biden-climate-advisor/index.html
She was apparently behind the many of the climate/environment-focused E.O.'s that were issued. Wish her well!
bronxiteforever
(9,287 posts)Marthe48
(17,035 posts)and knowledge she displayed during an interview early in President Biden's 1st term
Evolve Dammit
(16,778 posts)Brenda
(1,072 posts)Why did she sign up for one year to be in a federal position like this? Oh, she stayed longer but has to go back to something else. What is more important than doing this at the highest level?
BumRushDaShow
(129,543 posts)For people at the GS-1000 level, it's not easy and you do have some who are "born and bred public service" types but others really aren't and were there for patronage or had full time jobs at policy institutes and/or colleges and were brought in to "contribute" their knowledge and experience for a fixed time (perhaps setting up certain programs) and then planned to move on.
for that explanation and maybe it is a "normal" thing for honest people to do, not like the corrupt revolving door that exists in so many federal agencies.
But climate change is/will affect so many things the federal gov will have to deal with I just assumed it would be a serious job for a serious person. Not a temp assignment.
BumRushDaShow
(129,543 posts)and there are several agencies that deal with "climate" and the environment - notably NOAA (but also USGS and EPA, and even NASA, which has been involved with launches and monitoring of satellites that are measuring climatological phenomena over the oceans and poles), so there are plenty of scientists and other policy voices who are working behind the scenes.
The "Climate Advisor" is simply someone who would advise the President on the issues and help translate the President's vision for those agencies that are directly involved in the subject.
Remember the appointees are there "at the pleasure of the President" so those positions are always "temporary", but it's really the civil service workers who are actually doing the grunt work to carry out the mission and helping to bring policies to fruition.
Brenda
(1,072 posts)After many years of service as an engineer with the federal government so I'm not really that ignorant.
Excuse me but at this point where we are having massive catastrophic issues with the climate, the Climate Advisor should be someone who is stable, consistent, up to date and not change at the whim, or, pleasure of the President.
He and the country would do well to have the same advisor through the entire length of his presidency.
Visuals matter. People don't ever know about the thousands of government workers, scientists, educators, etc. who do the work to report on this disastrous situation we find ourselves in.
Spokespeople should stay in government more than one year! Consistency helps create trust and understanding.
BumRushDaShow
(129,543 posts)from the federal government. And it's not like I don't agree with you but what is probably needed for "Climate" is someone like a Fauci, who is a civil servant and who is able to articulate and participate in the public discussions and policy making. Otherwise anyone who is an "appointee" is still going to be there "at the pleasure of the President".
And a President can't "force" an appointee to stay. Sometimes they try to get the best minds in to get something off the ground and give it a good foundation, knowing that they won't be able to stay (similar to how Elizabeth Warren had been brought in to help create the CFPB as an "Advisor", but was viciously attacked by the RW loons and was never able to be confirmed as the first director).
Unfortunately it is the way it is.
Brenda
(1,072 posts)But this is so different than anything else we've encountered. It used to be "well, we got through the Great Depression," or "well, we got through WWII."
Climate change will not end. You don't get over it. You have to mitigate the suffering and it's already pretty fucking bad.
Sorry, not to take anything away from Gina, I just think our government needs to get ahead of the worst that's coming.
BumRushDaShow
(129,543 posts)I know it looks dire, but I would say too that sometimes mother nature has a way of "balancing out" things and doing "self-healing" in ways we have yet to discover. It's a matter of helping that process along while not creating new catastrophes due to competing scientific interests, which are a real problem. And a single person is not going to be able to carry that load. It has to be a collaboration of people and a lot of education of the populace.
Brenda
(1,072 posts)I don't think I understand what in the fuck you are saying.
I know it looks dire, but I would say too that sometimes mother nature has a way of "balancing out" things and doing "self-healing" in ways we have yet to discover.
It's a matter of helping that process along while not creating new catastrophes due to competing scientific interests, which are a real problem.
What?
Edit to add: Very specific whats:
What process are you helping?
What catastrophe are you referring to?
Which competing scientific interests?
Which ones exactly are a real problem?
BumRushDaShow
(129,543 posts)is that the earth is a macrosystem that is constantly changing - adapting in some places and collapsing in others, and there may be some other ways to mitigate the collapses that haven't been uncovered yet. For example some new research released about landfill contributions to methane release.
And yes - I see you have edited your reply from being a rather rude remark, but what I am also saying is this - simple science dictates that temperatures and pressures naturally attempt to "come into equilibrium". You will have areas of drought in one place and areas of floods in others, and similarly where you have a high pressure ( "fair weather" ) system, it will be adjacent to a low pressure ( "cyclonic" weather) system. If things can be done to allow the natural equilibrium to happen, then you can reduce the extremes.
And with respect to scientific disagreements - right now you have one camp of scientists who are demanding that we say, add more wind-energy capturing devices (turbines) for electrical generation, yet they are clashing with the ornithologists who have been monitoring how those turbines can disrupt bird migrations. And this is happening across the board and why so many things end up at a stalemate.
So it's a matter of getting people on the same page and that is not easy, and one person sure as hell is not going to be able to do that.
Brenda
(1,072 posts)to do it all. I simply asked why the President can't get a "climate guru" for his entire term. Most businesses hire someone they hope will last 4 years.
Yes I understand the earth is constantly changing and it's changing now for the worst for life on Earth.
Are you aware of the Sixth Extinction which is underway?
Iif things can be done to allow the natural equilibrium to happen, then you can reduce the extremes.
Okay, I understand what you're referring to about disagreements. Turbines vs bird losses. I am a huge wildlife conservation person and that is ridiculous.
It is ridiculous when compared to the real problems coming. Lack of water and food in America. It's coming.
BumRushDaShow
(129,543 posts)From what I did see in the article, John Kerry is actively behind the scenes as the "Climate Envoy" to fix the climate talks mess that 45 left - https://www.ft.com/content/a1007c8b-4b9d-4ba1-8587-6cee53ed43fa
Link to tweet
@JohnKerry
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We will have more of these big days down the road! Best of luck to you and congrats @ginamccarthy46!
Aly Ellis ☕️
@alyellis
.@jrpsaki: A big day for Boston in the briefing room.
@Gina_McCarthy: Its a big day for Boston every day.
Embedded video
4:59 PM · Sep 2, 2022
He is supposed to attend an event with VP Gore hosted by the NYT Sept. 20 -
How does climate change exacerbate other global challenges? Join us remotely or in person for our climate event series, with an upcoming gathering in New York in September.
By The New York Times
Sept. 2, 2022, 10:50 a.m. ET
Live Event
Climate Forward Livestream
Tuesday, September 20
9 a.m. 6 p.m. E.D.T.
Watch live conversations from New York with global climate leaders to understand the intersection between climate change and health, education and more.
Presented by
Where might solutions for addressing climate change come from? How might innovation and arts and culture spark change? Whats the role of the everyday person? Explore vital questions about this precarious moment at a series of live events from The New York Times in New York, San Francisco and Sharm el Sheikh. Or join the conversation virtually.
Climate Forward, New York, Sept. 20
How does climate change make it harder to eradicate poverty and avoid war? With the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly opening in New York, join us for a deep investigation into the nexus between climate change and many critical international issues. Hear from leaders like the U.S. climate envoy John Kerry, Nobel laureate and economist Esther Duflo, and former Vice President Al Gore at this all-day event.
https://www.nytimes.com/article/climate-event.html
summer_in_TX
(2,754 posts)She's 68.
I'm sure Biden wanted and valued her experience, and it was undoubtedly an asset for the administration, but I imagine after achieving what she had worked on for so long, she was ready for something new.
She so deserves it!
mahina
(17,705 posts)Heres an interview with her on climate disinformation and misinformation
https://www.axios.com/2022/05/31/axios-event-gina-mccarthy-nih-misinformation-online
I love listening to her talk and Im so thankful to her for everything shes done. What a mind, what a heart, what a great lady