Rafe Pomerance, an influential environmentalist and climate change advocate, died at the age of 79 due to lung cancer. He gained recognition for his pivotal role in raising awareness about climate change, particularly after discovering a critical link between coal emissions and atmospheric warming in a 1979 Environmental Protection Agency report. This finding motivated him to alert both the public and policymakers about the impending dangers of climate change, earning him a reputation akin to that of Paul Revere. His efforts were chronicled in Nathaniel Rich's 2018 article 'Losing Earth,' which portrayed the years from 1979 to 1989 as a crucial yet ultimately squandered opportunity to address climate change at a national level. Rich referred to Pomerance as the 'central figure' in the emergence of climate change as a political issue, highlighting his behind-the-scenes influence. Despite his engaging personality, Pomerance opted to remain out of the spotlight, understanding the complexities of effective advocacy. His work with Friends of the Earth during the late 1970s and early 1980s helped shape the discourse around climate change, influencing leaders across the political spectrum.