Rafe Pomerance, a longtime climate advocate and former U.S. State Department official who led negotiations for the Kyoto Protocol, passed away in May 2026. This tribute from Resources for the Future highlights his early work sounding the alarm on carbon dioxide risks in the 1970s and his later advocacy for practical carbon pricing tools like the safety valve. Pomerance helped bridge science and policy during a critical period when climate change first entered national consciousness. His career included founding the National Clean Air Coalition, serving as president of Friends of the Earth, and working at the World Resources Institute. At RFF, he collaborated on the safety valve approach to carbon pricing, which aimed to limit allowance price spikes in emissions trading systems. The article offers a grounded look at how one person shaped U.S. climate policy from the inside, with lessons for today's debates on carbon markets and international agreements.
