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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Killer whales off Mexico have developed coordinated hunting skills to take down whale sharks, adding to their reputation as the ocean's top predator. -
A powerful storm is soaking Northern California and Oregon, bringing high winds and flood risk. It's known as an atmospheric river. A big question is if climate change is making these storms worse.
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Fossil fuel emissions have increased steadily for almost two centuries. Now, the world may soon reach an important turning point for climate change. -
Higher utility bills. Rising home insurance costs. Damage from floods, wildfires and hurricanes. Climate change is hitting Americans' bank accounts, and older adults are particularly at risk. -
Over 4,500 square miles of ocean will be protected off the California coast. It will also be managed in partnership with the Indigenous groups that fought to create it. -
Coastal cities often bear the brunt of hurricanes. But as Hurricane Helene showed, extreme rainfall can be life-threatening hundreds of miles away. -
After 102 people died in wildfires one year ago, Maui's officials have committed to creating new evacuation routes. But even though the buildings are gone, remaking the map is a harder task. -
Lahaina's extreme wildfire destroyed much of its historic waterfront. Residents are eager to rebuild, but officials are weighing whether they should, given the dangers of rising sea levels. -
Ocean temperatures have been unusually hot, which turns the corals a ghostly white. Coral bleaching is expected to get worse as the climate keeps getting hotter. Scientists aim to help corals survive.
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Coral reefs face a dire future as oceans get hotter. Scientists are breeding corals that can handle heat better, in the hope they can survive long enough for humans to rein in climate change.
