Alessandro Modiano, Italy’s climate envoy, has resigned from the government, casting doubt on the future of the nation’s climate diplomacy.
Modiano was appointed by Mario Draghi’s administration in January 2022, and he resigned on Monday, three months into Giorgia Meloni’s far-right administration.
Announcing his resignation on Twitter, Modiano wrote, “Today, I am leaving the role of Special Envoy for Climate Change. It was an honour to be the first and a privilege to work with the incredible @MASE_IT team, the international community, and outstanding youth!
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“I leave in deeply grateful and, most of all, optimistic.”
Reacting to Modiano’s resignation, Luca Bergamaschi, the director of Italian climate think tank Ecco, said “Losing one of Italy’s most capable senior diplomats represents quite a critical loss of capacity for Italian climate diplomacy.”
He added that “At the moment, Italy doesn’t have a Special Envoy any longer and no one knows if Modiano’s envoy role will be replaced.”
Story was adapted from Climate Home News.
