State Department names diplomat for plants, animals

Ukrainians are fighting for their lives. China is ready to go to war over Taiwan. Iran could build a nuclear weapon conceivably any moment. But for the first time in U.S. history, we now have a diplomat for plants and animals.

This week, the State Department named Monica Medina as the new special envoy for biodiversity and water resources. The move falls in line with the Biden administration’s pledge to protect land and water not just in the U.S., but also abroad.

Medina is currently working for the State Department as the assistant secretary for oceans and international environmental and scientific affairs. Medina is no stranger to operating with diplomacy. Her husband is White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain.

Medina’s appointment comes ahead of the U.N.’s Convention on Biological Diversity, also known as COP-15. The conference will be held in Montreal in December. It’s similar to the meetings that created the Paris Climate Accords. The goal of this year’s conference is creating an international framework for conserving biodiversity.

Medina told the Washington Post biodiversity and climate change are interwoven, so the more we can do to protect biodiversity, the better off the climate will ultimately be.