Lauren Sommer
Lauren Sommer covers climate change for NPR's Science Desk, from the scientists on the front lines of documenting the warming climate to the way those changes are reshaping communities and ecosystems around the world.
Prior to joining NPR, Sommer spent more than a decade covering climate and environment for KQED Public Radio in San Francisco. During her time there, she delved into the impacts of California's historic drought during dry years and reported on destructive floods during wet years, and covered how communities responded to record-breaking wildfires.
Sommer has also examined California's ambitious effort to cut carbon emissions across its economy and investigated the legacy of its oil industry. On the lighter side, she ran from charging elephant seals and searched for frogs in Sierra Nevada lakes.
She was also host of KQED's macrophotography nature series Deep Look, which searched for universal truths in tiny organisms like black-widow spiders and parasites. Sommer has received a national Edward R. Murrow for use of sound, as well as awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Society of Environmental Journalists.
Based at NPR's San Francisco bureau, Sommer grew up in the West, minus a stint on the East Coast to attend Cornell University.
-
Federal scientists have found that 2025 was among the hottest years on record since the Industrial Revolution, continuing a warming trend and bringing Earth closer to a crucial threshold.
-
California is writing rules to limit plants around buildings to protect them from wildfires, after the Los Angeles fires a year ago. Some homeowners are pushing back over losing their greenery. -
Many of New Zealand's unique birds are heading toward extinction. So the country is taking on an ambitious conservation project: eradicating the invasive species that prey on them. -
Illegal fishing has plagued oceans worldwide, and new technology is providing a view of its extent. New studies show that while it still happens, protected areas where fishing is banned are thriving.
-
Kerr County applied for federal grants to build a warning system to protect residents from flash floods. Under the Trump administration, that kind of funding is drying up. -
New York, North Carolina, New Mexico and Texas have all suffered serious flooding this month. Climate change is causing even more rain to fall during the heaviest storms. -
The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Cameron Hamilton, has been replaced. The shake up comes weeks before the start of the Atlantic hurricane season. -
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration houses key groups like the National Weather Service. Experts warn the consequences of employee cuts could be drastic. -
After thousands of homes were destroyed, many are looking for ways to make Los Angeles safer from wildfires. But clearing dense shrubs on the hillsides could actually make the fire danger worse. -
Houses are still standing in the burn zone in Los Angeles, ones that made it through the fires. Experts on the ground are finding those homeowners made some key preparations.
