About

In a fast-changing political and economic environment, clear strategic counsel on climate and energy matters more than ever. Organizations that want to act, not just endure, need advisors who lead with strategic judgment, grounded in genuine technical fluency, helping set the right direction so real impact follows. That combination is rarer than either skill alone. Bellwether was founded to close that gap: pragmatic strategy for however the politics turn.

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Kevin M. Adams

Founder and Managing Director, Bellwether Climate Advisors

Kevin M. Adams is the Founder and Managing Director of Bellwether Climate Advisors, where he advises governments, multilateral institutions, philanthropies, and corporate leaders on geopolitics, sustainable finance, and trade. He is a seasoned strategist and negotiator with over a decade of experience in international climate policy, whose expertise spans both the public and private sectors.

Prior to founding Bellwether, Kevin served from 2021-2025 as the United States’ Lead Climate Finance Negotiator and advisor to Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and Senior Advisor to the President John Podesta. In this role, Kevin developed U.S. negotiating positions and strategy at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), G7, G20, and UN General Assembly, representing the United States at the negotiating table and engaging stakeholders to build support for U.S. objectives. He also held board and senior advisory positions across the Green Climate Fund, Adaptation Fund, and Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, key multilateral vehicles for channeling finance to emerging markets and developing economies. He additionally served in an expert capacity as the U.S. Member of the UNFCCC Standing Committee on Finance.

Kevin’s strategic and diplomatic work is grounded in his academic research. He is a PhD Candidate at the London School of Economics, where his research examines the intersection of climate risk, international trade, and global governance. He was previously a Research Fellow at the Stockholm Environment Institute, where he helped found the Adaptation Without Borders initiative, focused on managing transboundary climate risks. Kevin has an extensive track record of academic publications and policy reports on these issues. He holds an M.S. in Environmental Studies and Policy from the University of Colorado and two B.S. degrees from Michigan State University.

Contact: Kevin@BellwetherClimate.com

Track Record

  • Helped deliver the landmark decision among 196 countries to scale climate finance for developing countries to over $1.3 trillion a year by 2035.

  • Helped scale U.S. international public climate finance four-fold, meeting a Presidential pledge to reach over $11 billion annually by 2024, working across the White House and 17 Federal Departments and Agencies.

  • Served as U.S. Lead Climate Finance Negotiator at UNFCCC COP27, COP28, and COP29, leading an interagency team to deliver consensus outcomes across dozens of technical negotiation items and political declarations.

  • Former U.S. Alternate Board Member, Green Climate Fund; Former U.S. Board Member, Adaptation Fund; Former Advisor to the U.S. Board Member, Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage.

  • Former U.S. Member of the UNFCCC Standing Committee on Finance, the UN system’s preeminent expert body on climate finance.

  • Author of more than 35 academic articles, policy briefs, and reports on sustainable finance, international trade, and climate risk.

  • Regularly briefs senior executives at major corporates and philanthropies on international climate policy developments and emerging risks and opportunities.