Rafe Pomerance, the Paul Revere of Climate Change, Dies at 79
Rafe Pomerance, a veteran environmental lobbyist known as the “Paul Revere of Climate Change,” died at age 79. He played a central role in bringing climate change to public and political attention, especially during his tenure as president of Friends of the Earth in the early 1980s. Colleagues credit him with energizing activist networks and providing the factual basis for climate advocacy.
- ▪Rafe Pomerance died at 79 after a long career advocating for climate action.
- ▪He earned the nickname “Paul Revere of Climate Change” for his early warnings about the issue.
- ▪As president of Friends of the Earth in 1983, he helped mobilize groups like the Sierra Club and supplied critical data for climate campaigns.
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| Original publisher | NYT — Science |
| Canonical URL | https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/24/science/rafe-pomerance-dead.html |
| Publication time | Sun, 24 May 2026 17:24:13 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-24T17:32:33.761Z |
| Last seen | 2026-05-24T17:32:34.820Z |
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AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTYou have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.Supported bySKIP ADVERTISEMENTRafe Pomerance, the Paul Revere of Climate Change, Dies at 79An environmental lobbyist and activist, he was a pivotal figure in drawing public attention and political support to the existential issue.Listen · 10:02 min Share full articleRafe Pomerance as president of the environmental group Friends of the Earth, in 1983. “He recruited us and energized us and gave us facts that allowed us to work on the most important issue of our time,” said Daniel Becker, a longtime leader with the Sierra Club.Credit...J.
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