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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It was once thought that nothing could take down the world's largest animal, the blue whale. But scientists have witnessed something unusual that shows these giants do have a predator to worry about.
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Cities are experiencing heavier storms and flooding as the climate gets hotter. But due to outdated rainfall records, many are still building infrastructure for the climate of the past. -
Cities will soon spend billions upgrading their water systems with federal infrastructure funds. But many don't have information about how to prepare the systems for climate change.
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As the climate gets hotter, plants could need to move to new habitats. But animals that eat their fruit and help spread the seeds are disappearing. -
As the climate gets hotter, plants may need to grow in new locations to survive. But the animals that help spread the seeds are disappearing.
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A new climate report finds that 2021 was the sixth hottest year on record. The past decade has also been the hottest since record-keeping began.
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Many of this year's deadly extreme weather is linked to climate change and scientists warn they're a sign of what's to come. -
Despite a year of increasing weather disasters, Biden's ambitious climate plans may be doomed in Congress.
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Climate scientists warn that emissions need to fall quickly. Those cuts will be even tougher with the Build Back Better legislation shelved for the foreseeable future. -
Intense climate negotiations in Glasgow, Scotland, brought about major breakthroughs and compromises, as world leaders sought to avert extreme climate change.
