To help the Obama administration address global warming on an international scale, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton named Todd Stern as a special envoy for climate change on Jan. 26, 2009.

"The special envoy will serve as a principal adviser on international climate policy and strategy. He will be the administration"s chief climate negotiator," Clinton said. "He will be leading our efforts with United Nations negotiations and processes involving a smaller set of countries and bilateral sessions."

Stern coordinated initiatives on global climate change for the Clinton administration from 1997 to 1999, acting as the senior negotiator at U.N. climate talks in Kyoto and Buenos Aires.

"The time for denial, delay and dispute is over. The time for the United States to take up its rightful place at the negotiating table is here," Stern said in remarks accepting the position.

Appointing an envoy is a first step to working with the United Nations on climate change. We rate this promise In the Works.