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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Hotter oceans are threatening coral around the world this summer. A new project is seeking to preserve coral by deep-freezing them, in the hope that one day they can help restore reefs.
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As Maui begins to pick up the pieces after deadly fires, the question is what can be done to prevent similar disasters. Other Westerns states have adopted measures to protect communities.
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In preparing for future fires, Maui doesn't have to look far. States like California have passed wildfire policies to reduce the risk that a community will be destroyed. -
The toll of the Maui wildfires is still growing, but amid the destruction, there have been moments of lightness. One separated family reunited thanks to the grassroots supply network that's sprung up.
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Maui has long known the dangers of wildfires. The island has a plan to help make communities safer. But like so many other places at risk, they've struggled to get the funding to implement it.
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The wildfire that tore through parts of Maui has killed at least 93 people, making it the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
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Hawaii officials are mobilizing food and supplies for residents who spent days without power after massive fires devastated parts of Maui. Volunteers around the island are also chipping in.
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Hawaii's Gov. Josh Green says thousands of displaced people will need to be housed as firefighters continue to put out fires on Maui. The death toll stands at 55 and is expected to rise.
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The Biden administration is moving ahead with what could be the largest national marine sanctuary in the continental U.S. A Native American tribe is hoping to be partners in managing it. -
Scientists know a current in the Atlantic Ocean could collapse suddenly as the climate changes. The question of when matters to billions of people around the globe.
