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Biden Administration International Affairs Personnel Tracker
Gina McCarthy
National Climate Advisor
On This Page
Gina McCarthy is a practiced environmental specialist with experience working at local, state, and federal levels. Most notably, McCarthy was Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under Obama, when she spearheaded the United States’ efforts to curb greenhouse gases from power plants and vehicles. Prior to serving under Obama, McCarthy was a Massachusetts state regulator and commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection before joining the Environmental Protection Agency in 2009 as Assistant Administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation. In January 2020, McCarthy became President of the environmental group Natural Resources Defense Council until she left the post to serve in the White House. She has a M.A. from Tufts University and a B.A. from University of Massachusetts, Boston.
The National Climate Advisor does not need Senate confirmation. McCarthy’s appointment to the position was announced in December 15, 2020.
Views On China
At least during her time at the EPA, Gina McCarthy appeared to view China as both an economic competitor and, more importantly, a vital collaborator on resolving climate issues, as the U.S. and China share the most responsibility for carbon emissions.
“I know that China, too, is taking action to address climate change while reducing traditional air pollution and promoting economic growth. The road ahead will be tough, but we all benefit from our continued collaboration; sharing our experiences and expertise. In the end, it’s about protecting and supporting our people and our economies—today and for generations to come. It’s about science, technology, and our governments working in harmony to achieve those objectives.” – Speech at Tsinghua University, Beijing, 2013
McCarthy once equated Beijing’s metropolitan smog to that found in Los Angeles in the 1960s after a visit in December 2013, commenting that there is hope for Beijing improving like Los Angeles has and “[y]ou don’t have to give up economic progress to provide a clean environment.”
Her recognition of the competitive power of China–and how it could prove detrimental to the United States in particular–has only appeared to grow over time. Speaking at a policy forum held by the Energy Storage Association, February 3, 2021, McCarthy said, “We are right now ceding a lot of the biggest opportunities [in energy resilience technologies] to China and other countries”; a sentiment that she echoed in a February 23, 2021 interview with Bloomberg Green, a March 12, 2021 interview with Rolling Stone, an April 20, 2021 podcast interview with NPR Politics, and a May 19, 2021 interview with The Washington Post.
On general diplomatic relations, McCarthy is no stranger to foreign policy development and interactions with Beijing to ensure “commitments.” She did make a variety of trips abroad, including to China, as a representative of the EPA (i.e., in 2010 as a senior official and 2013 as EPA Administrator), and played a “key role” in brokering the Paris climate accord in 2015. In April 2014, she “angered” China by visiting Taiwan to meet with Taiwan’s president Ma Ying-jeou to promote environmental cooperation in the Asia Pacific. Even more recently, McCarthy was an expert speaker at Energy Foundation China’s Air Quality, Climate Change, and Human Health Forum held in Beijing in November 2019.
Most Recent Actions
In Her Own Words
- In the first week of October 2021, a five-page memo was sent to Senate Democrats that identifies eight categories of competitiveness that the White House Build Back Better plan is designed to boost. The document, written by White House economic adviser Brian Deese, domestic policy adviser Susan Rice, and McCarthy, references China 12 times, indicating at least one motivation for writing and spreading such a document.
According to NBCNews, the document “itches investments in clean energy to combat China’s growing market share in making wind turbines” and “warns of China’s steel production outpacing that of the U.S.,” among other inclusions.
Media
- Gina McCarthy is expected to take a front role at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), held in Glasgow the last week of October.
- “White House Climate Advisor on fighting climate change on a global scale,” interview by Yahoo Finance, October 25, 2021
- “Biden’s climate duo of Kerry and McCarthy puts U.S. back in global warming fight,” Reuters, April 16, 2021
Archive
In Her Own Words
- In an one-on-one interview with WUSA9 on September 13, 2021 McCarthy responded to a question referencing China as an international polluter: “Some critics say why should the U.S. do anything if places like China and India are not going to do it? Is there a scenario where the U.S. cuts carbon emissions and it’s still not enough because of international polluters?”
“…But we also have to recognize that this is an international worldwide issue. There is no question about that. But if the U.S. sits on the sidelines, we give every excuse to China and India and other large, largest countries in the world to sit on the sidelines. So we’re fully in, we want to lead this effort.”
“But you’re absolutely right that we’re going to make sure that as a leader, we bring the largest economies into the solution set that we are investing in. So everybody has to play, and that’s why you want the leadership of the United States at these international meetings, and that’s what we’re going to have.”
In Her Own Words
- Inter
In Her Own Words
- Interview Transcript, “Transcript: The Path Forward: Renewable Energy with White House National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy,” The Washington Post, May 19, 2021
…one of the things we want to make clear is that the president’s jobs plan, including what he’s trying to do to move to cleaner transportation, is to make sure that it comes with good-paying union jobs, to make sure that the parts are made in America, that we are beginning to grab the supply chain particularly from China, which is really producing these vehicles at three times the level that we have been, and we have to get moving if we expect the United States to continue to win the future.
- While talking with Bloomberg TV on May 18, 2021, McCarthy directly linked the Biden Administration’s extended support for electric vehicle development to competition with China and “winning the future”. She also noted that President Biden “is concerned that China is far ahead of us in the electric vehicle market,” explaining that “Instead of producing the technologies of the future, we are importing them from somewhere else.”
Media
- “Why Won’t Environmentalists Speak Out Against Forced Labor For China-Made Solar Panels?,” Forbes, April 29, 2021
In Her Own Words
- On Earth Day 2021 (April 22, 2021) Administrator McCarthy delivered remarks in a White House press conference with Special Presidential Envoy John Kerry and White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki. The remarks were given as the Biden Administration’s internationally-recognized Climate Summit was underway. In her remarks, McCarthy summarized and reiterated the Biden Administration’s climate restoration efforts, commitments, and progress thus far in the first 100 days:
The output of these — the bottom-up analyses and robust engagement is this: And that is that we see multiple pathways across all sectors, across all policy levers, across federal and state and local actions to grow our economy and reduce our emissions.
McCarthy also explained the link between economic competitiveness and climate security:
Look, President Biden has always believed that tackling the climate crisis presents a valuable economic opportunity. And the fact is: Creating jobs and tackling climate change go hand in hand.
We invest in the competitiveness of our industry and empower U.S. workers to build more resilient and sustainable infrastructure and propel us. That is how we lead and move forward in manufacturing and exports of clean energy technologies.
- On April 20, 2021, two days before Earth Day 2021, Administrator McCarthy gave an interview on NPR Politics Podcast wherein she provided an update on the status of U.S. engagement in climate policy. In response to the host’s question about a Chinese official saying the U.S. rejoining climate is “the student playing truant getting back to class,” McCarthy responded:
Well, I think my response is that the U.S. is back in the game. They’re not wrong that we have lost some time. But frankly, the U.S. is looking at this as a tremendous opportunity to shift to clean energy. And we would hope that China and our other countries would look at it similarly. You know, let’s look at the future, and let’s win it. Part of the challenge that we’re facing with China is that all those electric vehicles are getting sold in China. All the battery technology is getting manufactured in China. And we’re just starting to pull that back. So if we want America to be the strongest country and we want to lead it, then the investments in the American jobs plan is essential. It will allow us to maximize our ability to meet our commitments, which are going to be strong.
She concluded the discussion by stating:
Well, we have – we definitely have work to do….We’ve lost a lot of time. But rather than look back at that, my hope is that this Earth Day, this Earth Week, we can celebrate the fact that we have climate solutions. We need the courage and the commitment to deploy them. And then we need investment in innovation. And so we will get there. We don’t have any choice. This is an existential challenge. And nobody can remain on the sidelines.
Media
- “The Fauci of climate change? Gina McCarthy is in charge of Biden’s massive climate agenda,” Vox, March 2, 2021
In Her Own Words
- “Nothing’s Off the Table: Gina McCarthy Has Big Plans for the Climate Fight,” Rolling Stone, March 12, 2021
We have to advance manufacturing. We have to be the clean-energy country if we want to compete against China and get those jobs here instead of elsewhere.
In Her Own Words
- “Biden’s Climate Czar on the Texas Electricity Mess, Green Energy,” Bloomberg Green, Interview, February 23, 2021
We are also just not manufacturing at the levels we need. We are ceding the economy of the future to China and other countries…
In Her Own Words
- “Climate adviser Gina McCarthy on what President Biden wants to accomplish,” PBS News interview (8:11), video and transcript, January 27, 2021
Media
- “Biden picks former EPA chief Gina McCarthy as White House climate czar,” The Washington Post, December 15, 2020
- “She will be the domestic counterpart to John F. Kerry, the former secretary of state and senator whom Biden has named special presidential envoy to manage the U.S. role in global climate action.”
- “Biden to Name Gina McCarthy, Former E.P.A. Chief, as White House Climate Coordinator,” The New York Times, December 15, 2020
- “Biden to name Gina McCarthy to top domestic climate job,” CNN, December 15, 2020
- “She has a career that spans decades across state and local levels working on environmental issues.”
In Her Own Words
“If Trump Dumps the Paris Accord, China Will Rule the Energy Future,” Foreign Policy, May 31, 2017
If the Trump administration fails to show leadership on domestic climate actions and support the Paris Agreement on climate change, it will cede a competitive economic edge to nations like China….It’s misleading of this administration to point to China’s 2030 reduction goal under the Paris Agreement, as if it gives the nation a free pass until then. China must act now to meet its commitment, and it is already making substantial investments in renewable energy and disinvestments in coal-fired power plants. In fact, during the next five years, China is expected to remain the largest player in wind-energy growth.”
“EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy on U.S.-China Clean Air and Climate Cooperation,” Event speaker, Center for American Progress, December 2, 2013
“Administrator Gina McCarthy, Remarks at Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, As Prepared,” speech, December 9, 2013, Tsinghua University, Beijing]
We represent the world’s largest economies, largest energy consumers, and largest emitters of carbon pollution. Of course there’s economic competition between us—but we share the same planet. A changing climate doesn’t recognize borders. We face it together. We must fight it together.
I’m impressed by China’s work to develop an effective air quality management infrastructure that’s centrally organized and locally implemented, understanding that success depends on engagement with provinces.
Page Last Updated: October 27, 2021
*None of the personnel in this tracker are associated with the Institute for China-America Studies. All images used on this page are sourced from the official Biden-Harris transition website buildbackbetter.gov or the public domain.*
