Honoring Rafe Pomerance, a Pioneer of Climate Action

The World Resources Institute (WRI) issued a statement mourning the passing of Rafe Pomerance, a pioneer in the climate movement. Pomerance is credited with helping organize the 1986 U.S. Senate hearings on the greenhouse effect and serving as a key architect of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. He worked with numerous organizations, including WRI from 1986 to 1993, Friends of the Earth, and the U.S. government, to push climate change onto the political agenda.

• Rafe Pomerance contributed to two major milestones in climate policy: the 1986 U.S. Senate hearings on the greenhouse effect, which increased public awareness of climate risks, and the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, the first major global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
• Pomerance held leadership or collaborative roles across a wide range of institutions, including the World Resources Institute (where he was a colleague from 1986-1993), Friends of the Earth, the Woodwell Climate Research Center, the Polar Research Board, Arctic 21, American Rivers, and the U.S. government.

APA

World Resources Institute (2026). Honoring Rafe Pomerance, a Pioneer of Climate Action. https://www.wri.org/news/statement-honoring-rafe-pomerance-pioneer-climate-action

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Honoring Rafe Pomerance, a Pioneer of Climate Action. 2026. https://www.wri.org/news/statement-honoring-rafe-pomerance-pioneer-climate-action.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=World Resources Institute |title=Honoring Rafe Pomerance, a Pioneer of Climate Action |date=21 May 2026 |url=https://www.wri.org/news/statement-honoring-rafe-pomerance-pioneer-climate-action |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{worldresourcesinstitute2026honoring, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Honoring Rafe Pomerance, a Pioneer of Climate Action}}, publisher = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2026}, month = may, url = {https://www.wri.org/news/statement-honoring-rafe-pomerance-pioneer-climate-action}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }