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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Winters are warming faster than summers in many places, and colder parts of the U.S. are warming faster than hotter ones. The warming winter climate has year-round consequences across the country.
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Many fruit and nut trees need cold weather to bloom, which is becoming less common in a warming climate. So, farmers and scientists are teaming up to find ways to help orchards chill out and cope.
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New research shows that climate change and habitat loss are causing widespread decline among bumblebees in North America and Europe — and putting ecosystems that depend on these pollinators at risk.
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The move fulfills a Trump campaign promise to help California's farmers. But it ignores the warnings of federal biologists who were sidelined.
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When it comes to surviving the warming climate, scientists are finding that some plants and animals have an edge. The hope is that these "super adapters" can help preserve their species.
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As more cities and states try to cut carbon emissions, natural gas is becoming a target. The city of Berkeley, Calif., just became the first to ban it in new homes, but it may not be the last.
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To help meet its ambitious climate goals, California is paying farmers to grow cover crops. The aim is to promote healthier soil that can absorb more carbon from the atmosphere.
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The Trump administration wants to allocate more of California's water to farmers. Internal government emails show concern that the change is being pushed too fast for adequate scientific review.
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PG&E is key to helping California meet its ambitious goal of zero carbon electricity by mid-century. Now there's concern that the utility's bankruptcy may set that back.
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In northern California, homes are being rebuilt in the same area that burned to the ground in last year's Tubbs Fire. Despite the risk, a severe housing shortage in the area is forcing tough choices.