The Foreign Service Journal, October 2021

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2021 39 Stephanie Christel Meredith is an eco-management analyst with the Department of State’s Greening Diplomacy Initiative in the Office of Management Strategy and Solutions. She joined the department in 2018 as a Presidential Management Fellow, and has served with State’s Bureau of Oceans and International Envi- ronmental and Scientific Affairs and the Department of Defense. The State Department is using its embassies and consulates as strategic platforms to demonstrate climate solutions and leadership overseas. BY STEPHAN I E CHR I STE L MERED I TH J ust one week after entering office, President Joe Biden signed Executive Order 14008: Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, placing the climate crisis “at the center of United States foreign policy and national security.” The president appointed former Secretary of State John Kerry as his Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, returned the United States to the Paris Agreement, and hosted a Leaders Summit on Climate on Earth Day, April 22. FOCUS ON CLIMATE CHANGE DIPLOMACY Tackling the Climate Crisis from the Inside To increase climate resilience and sustainability in our opera- tions, the State Department’s 12-year-old Greening Diplomacy Initiative (GDI), managed by the Office of Management Strategy and Solutions (M/SS), embarked on a new burst of planning and activity to help meet the White House’s ambitious goals to further reduce our environmental footprint and improve our climate resilience. The department aims to support eco- diplomacy efforts by leveraging our worldwide talent, facilities and operations to advance the conservation of natural resources and highlight U.S. environmental, technological and policy suc- cesses. Some of the goals will focus on implementing the White House orders, including transitioning State Department facilities worldwide to carbon pollution-free electricity, zero-emission vehicle acquisition and a net-zero emission building portfolio. With more than 22,000 real property assets, 90,000 person- nel and a fleet of 14,000 vehicles worldwide, the Department of State has a unique opportunity to lead by example in the fight against climate change. Our embassies and consulates act as strategic platforms to demonstrate climate solutions and lead-