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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In the 1980s, California towns used local zoning rules to block offshore oil and gas drilling. State lawmakers are considering a similar strategy to push back against the Trump administration.
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Warming oceans are hurting the shellfish industry. Scientists are hoping that seagrasses, like seaweed, can help soak up extra carbon in the water.
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As Santa Rosa begins rebuilding from the wildfires, the city will have to address the alarming trend of sprawl in to fire-prone areas. It's a little-discussed aspect of the state's housing crisis.
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To some, it's a chance for the state to cement its environmental leadership as the Trump administration rolls back Obama-era climate change programs.
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On a sunny day, California gets up to 40 percent of its energy from solar power. Monday's total eclipse isn't just a scientific spectacle, it's a major concern for the state's power grid.
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After devastating floods, California is looking to spend billions on dams and levees. Some are calling for a new approach to flood control, one that mimics nature instead of trying to contain it.
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Dams and levees across California are straining to handle winter storms. The state's water system was designed a century ago, before climate change was an issue. Now, the system is being rethought.
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California Gov. Jerry Brown is vowing to lead the nation on climate change, as the Trump administration pulls back. But Trump's EPA could get in California's way over tougher car rules.
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A deadly fungus is devastating frog populations around the world. In California, scientists are racing to find a way to immunize one species, mountain yellow-legged frogs, against the fungus.
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In California's Joshua Tree National Park, scientists say the quirky trees are in trouble. The National Park Service is looking for ways to save them for future visitors to experience.