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.
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Kelp forests along Northern California have almost vanished. Divers and scientists are racing to stop purple sea urchins from taking over critical habitat.
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Climate change is hitting the oceans hard, both warming and acidifying the water. Ocean scientists are hoping the Biden Administration dives in quickly to address it. -
Power outages are increasingly common, putting everything from clean drinking water to medical equipment at risk. Some communities are installing solar power and large batteries to protect themselves. -
NewsA century ago, the shipping industry recorded the daily ebb and flow of tides. Now, those records are becoming crucial for forecasting how fast sea levels are rising in a warming climate. -
President Biden has made climate change a focus of his first week in office. But it could take years before many of the executive actions he's highlighted to tackle the issue have a noticeable impact.
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NewsPresident Biden has set his sights on more than 100 Trump administration environmental rollbacks as well as plans to rejoin the international climate accord. -
This year had a relentless number of extreme wildfires and hurricanes. They were driven by climate change, and global temperatures that were among the hottest ever recorded.
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2020 and 2016 are virtually tied for the hottest year on record. That means more powerful hurricanes, more intense wildfires, less ice and longer heat waves. -
Many communities are locking down again due to the case surges, giving scientists more of a chance to see how that's changing the environment. They're finding it's affecting air and water quality.
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Homeowners are rebuilding after wildfires, but many won't be required by governments to use fire-resistant materials. Without such improvements, communities face harm again with the next fire.
