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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Controlled burns help reduce wildfire risk by clearing out overgrown vegetation. The U.S. Forest Service is suspending them, concerning fire scientists. -
Federal agencies are doubling down on stopping extreme wildfires. They're also limiting the use of fire to help with fire prevention, which is concerning some fire scientists.
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Extreme heat and on-going drought have made Western wildfires a national challenge this summer, with smoke moving from coast-to-coast. The peak of fire season isn't even here yet.
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In Silicon Valley, Google has acquired billions of dollars of property that's at risk for flooding as sea levels continue to rise. That's raising questions about whether it's safe to build at all.
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Facebook's campus on the shoreline of San Francisco Bay is at risk from rising sea levels. So is a nearby low-income community. That's raising questions about who should be paying for climate change.
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Coastal cities need billions of dollars to build defenses against sea level rise. Tensions are rising over where that funding will come from: taxpayers or private companies with waterfront property?
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A record dry year is creating extreme drought in the West. But even if it rains, climate change will continue to shrink the water supply for millions of people. -
Severe drought is spreading after a record dry year in the Western United States. Climate change is only making water shortages worse.
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Atlantic hurricane season kicks off on June 1, and it's supposed to be a slightly above average hurricane season. In the Western U.S., there's already a serious drought and elevated fire risk.
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Hotter oceans are putting coral reefs in peril worldwide. Scientists are warning that to save them, heat-trapping emissions must fall, and reefs will need more protection and restoration.
