Lauren Sommer
Lauren Sommer is a correspondent for NPR's climate desk, where she covers scientists on the frontlines of documenting the warming climate and how that science is — and isn't — being used by communities to prepare for increasing disasters.
Since joining NPR, she's looked at how a lack of building codes is putting people at risk of wildfires, how cities are failing to plan for stronger storms and how communities are allowing development in flood-prone areas. Sommer also scaled ice sheets to explore how melting polar ice is having mysterious impacts around the planet. That project won gold in the 2023 Kavli Science Journalism Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Prior to joining NPR, she spent more than a decade covering climate and environment for KQED Public Radio in San Francisco, where she delved into the impacts of California's historic drought and record-breaking wildfires. On the lighter side, she's run from charging elephant seals and searched for frogs in Sierra Nevada lakes.
Sommer 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. She has received a national Edward R. Murrow, as well as awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Society of Environmental Journalists.
She can be reached via encrypted message at sommer.55 on Signal.
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California has adopted the toughest new rules in the country that require homeowners to manage the plants around their houses. Fire experts say it helps protect houses from burning, but public pushback has been strong. -
There's a lot homeowners can do to prepare for wildfires, such as managing flammable plants and using fire-resistant building materials. But some states struggle to pass rules requiring those steps. -
The largest conservation areas in the U.S. are in the Pacific Ocean, where tiny islands are epicenters of biodiversity. The Trump administration is now opening their waters to commercial fishing, sparking a battle over some of the country's most pristine ecosystems. -
The changing climate is driving whales into San Francisco Bay, where ship strikes have been deadly. A new camera system could help ships and ferries steer clear. -
The Trump administration is cancelling $679 million in federal funding for ports to support the country's offshore wind industry, the latest move in… -
New York, North Carolina, New Mexico and Texas have all suffered serious flooding this month. Climate change is causing even more rain to fall during the heaviest storms.
