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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Extreme heat across the western U.S. is creating huge challenges for keeping the lights on in California. Experts say it shows states need to be planning for climate change extremes.
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Scientists say parasites are important parts of ecosystems, but many are at risk of extinction. So, they're calling for a parasite conservation movement.
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Saving endangered species usually brings to mind tigers or whales. But scientists say parasites need protection, too. They play an important role in the ecosystem, and many are at risk of extinction.
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Zoning for single-family homes has been tied to racial inequity and climate change, but in California, efforts to pass new laws keep falling short.
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Around the U.S., cities have been grappling with how single-family zoning can exacerbate racial inequity and climate change. States like California are struggling to fix that.
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Racial discrimination shaped the map of Minneapolis. Community groups are calling on the city to follow through on a new land use plan designed to address housing disparities and climate change.
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Communities were counting on historic levels of funding to prepare for climate change-driven disasters. Now, efforts are on hold.
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Car traffic took a big dip beginning in late March, and headlines celebrated clean air around the U.S. But an NPR analysis of EPA data tells a more troubling story.
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Researchers are testing sewage in hopes of getting a jump on COVID-19 outbreaks in communities — monitoring for when they begin and how quickly they spread.
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A new NASA satellite is providing a detailed look at how much polar ice is melting, raising sea levels around the world.
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U.S. health officials said equipping six cities with extra testing would pick up under-the-radar viral spread. But an NPR investigation finds conflicts and shortages caused painful delays.
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They may look cute and fluffy, and they don't go far, but cats are deadly stalkers who rule concentrated areas of their neighborhoods.