President Biden will promote Ali Zaidi as successor to National Climate Adviser Gina McCarthy, who is slated to step down from the role on Sept. 16, and will appoint think tank executive John Podesta to serve as senior clean energy innovation and implementation adviser.
Zaidi, who currently serves as McCarthy’s deputy, will also become vice chair of the National Climate Task Force, the White House said Friday.
He held climate-related positions under the Obama administration and was chairman of climate policy and finance and deputy secretary for energy and environment for the state of New York.
Podesta chairs the board of directors at the Center for American Progress, a public policy research institute he also founded.
He previously coordinated climate policy and initiatives for the Obama administration, participated in the U.N. Secretary General’s High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda and served as chief of staff at the White House during Bill Clinton’s presidency.
