Biden appoints 1st diplomat dedicated to biodiversity

President Biden and the State Department have appointed Monica Medina as the country's first special envoy for biodiversity and water resources. Medina currently serves as the department's assistant secretary for oceans and international environmental and scientific affairs and is the wife of White House chief of staff Ron Klain.
Creating the position is in line with the Biden administration's goal of protecting habitats in the U.S. and abroad, The Washington Post writes. Medina's appointment comes just before an international biodiversity conference that will take place in Montreal in December. The UN Convention on Biological Diversity, also known as COP-15, is a gathering aimed at creating international frameworks for conservation.
Some critics, like Rep. Yvette Herrell (R-N.M.), view this appointment as a misplacement of priorities. This is especially highlighted by other State Department positions that remain vacant, like an ambassador to Italy, reports the Daily Mail. The position is still vacant just as Italy has ushered in far-right leader Giorgia Meloni as prime minister.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Climate change largely contributes to biodiversity loss. Warmer temperatures can increase disease as well as cause flooding that destroys ecosystems, the Post explains. Medina told the Post that biodiversity loss is "a crisis that we face that's interwoven with the climate crisis, but also independent and important on its own."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Devika Rao has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022, covering science, the environment, climate and business. She previously worked as a policy associate for a nonprofit organization advocating for environmental action from a business perspective.
-
Today's political cartoons - March 29, 2025
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - my way or Norway, running orders, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 tactically sound cartoons about the leaked Signal chat
Cartoons Artists take on the clown signal, baby steps, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Roast lamb shoulder with ginger and fresh turmeric recipe
The Week Recommends Succulent and tender and falls off the bone with ease
By The Week UK Published
-
The JFK files: the truth at last?
In The Spotlight More than 64,000 previously classified documents relating the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy have been released by the Trump administration
By The Week Staff Published
-
Supreme Court upholds 'ghost gun' restrictions
Speed Read Ghost guns can be regulated like other firearms
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump sets 25% tariffs on auto imports
Speed Read The White House says the move will increase domestic manufacturing. But the steep import taxes could also harm the US auto industry.
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump allies urge White House to admit chat blunder
Speed Read Even pro-Trump figures are criticizing The White House's handling of the Signal scandal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Waltz takes blame for texts amid calls for Hegseth ouster
Speed Read Democrats are calling for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and national security adviser Michael Waltz to step down
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The EPA: Let’s forget about climate change
Feature You’ll miss the EPA when it’s been gutted, said former EPA heads
By The Week US Published
-
Judge: Nazis treated better than Trump deportees
speed read U.S. District Judge James Boasberg reaffirmed his order barring President Donald Trump from deporting alleged Venezuelan gang members
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US officials share war plans with journalist in group chat
Speed Read Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to a Signal conversation about striking Yemen
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published