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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As wildfires and floods happen more often, experts are concerned about the more than 200 layoffs at FEMA. NPR also found that FEMA is backtracking on work to make buildings safer during disasters.
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To help homes survive more intense disasters, FEMA has been developing recommendations for stronger building codes. The Trump Administration has pulled them back. -
An endangered crow, found only in Hawaii, is flying free again. The alala has survived only in captivity after almost going extinct. Now, a small group has been returned to the forest of Maui. But its survival is not guaranteed – showing how hard it is to re-introduce species at the brink of extinction.
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After thousands of homes were destroyed, many are looking for ways to make Los Angeles safer from wildfires. But clearing dense shrubs on the hillsides could actually make the fire danger worse. -
Winters are getting warmer and shorter as the climate changes. That's helping rat populations grow in several U.S. cities. -
Before the wildfire that destroyed thousands of homes, Altadena was already debating a tense question: should new housing be built in places that could burn? -
Extreme conditions helped fuel the fast-moving fires that destroyed thousands of homes. Scientists are working to figure out how climate change played a role in the disaster. -
Climate scientist Ben Hamlington works on understanding the impacts of climate change. Losing his house in the Eaton Fire has given that work new meaning. -
Houses are still standing in the burn zone in Los Angeles, ones that made it through the fires. Experts on the ground are finding those homeowners made some key preparations. -
Los Angeles has wildfire policies that are far tougher than many of those in Western states. The destruction from the recent fires shows there are still major gaps to address.
