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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The President said the United States is cutting its greenhouse gas emissions, and promised again to give more money to developing countries on the front lines of climate change.
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World leaders are discussing how to get climate change under control, but new reports show the post-pandemic rebound and war in Ukraine are driving emissions even higher.
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Global leaders are negotiating about how to cut greenhouse gas emissions as quickly as possible. Scientists say every passing day, and every tenth of a degree, makes a big difference.
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A new early warning system for weather disasters, calls for wealthy nations and corporations to pay up and dire descriptions of human suffering. Here's what happened at COP27 today.
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World leaders are meeting in Egypt for the next two weeks to talk about reining in climate change and paying for its deadly effects. Here's what you need to know.
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Scientists are finding that Western wildfires can have far-reaching impacts. If they're burning while Central U.S. thunderstorms are forming, the rain and hail can be dramatically more destructive.
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Unprecedented heat waves are on the rise as the climate gets hotter. But experts say the country's heat warning system may be leading the public to underestimate the dangers.
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Many people move without realizing the danger that wildfires pose to their new home. A new risk rating system could help buyers learn more on real estate sites.
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California broke its record for renewable energy when solar and wind provided enough to meet all consumer demand. At the time, natural gas power plants were still on, a necessity for the grid.
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With the climate warming rapidly, scientists are finding that cutting fossil fuels may not be enough. Carbon dioxide emissions may need to be vacuumed right out of the air.