Jennifer Ludden
Jennifer Ludden helps edit energy and environment stories for NPR's National Desk, working with NPR staffers and a team of public radio reporters across the country. They track the shift to clean energy, state and federal policy moves, and how people and communities are coping with the mounting impacts of climate change.
Previously, Ludden was an NPR correspondent covering family life and social issues, including the changing economics of marriage, the changing role of dads, and the ethical challenges of reproductive technology. She's also covered immigration and national security.
Ludden started reporting with NPR while based overseas in West Africa, Europe and the Middle East. She shared in two awards (Overseas Press Club and Society of Professional Journalists) for NPR's coverage of the Kosovo war in 1999, and won the Robert F. Kennedy Award for her coverage of the overthrow of Mobutu Sese Seko in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. When not navigating war zones, Ludden reported on cultural trends, including the dying tradition of storytellers in Syria, the emergence of Persian pop music in Iran, and the rise of a new form of urban polygamy in Africa.
Ludden has also reported from Canada and at public radio stations in Boston and Maine. She's a graduate of Syracuse University with degrees in television, radio, and film production and in English.
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In May, NOAA will release its once-a-decade update for the 30-year weather averages that local meteorologists use. In many places, it will mean far fewer days that are "above normal." -
Next month, the temperature averages meteorologists use will get an update. It means the warmer climate will — quite literally — become the new "normal," posing a challenge for forecasters.
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Former EPA chief Gina McCarthy is President-elect Joe Biden's pick for domestic climate adviser. She'll have a big role pushing for aggressive climate action across the government.
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McCarthy has an ambitious assignment: coordinating efforts across the entire federal government aimed at drastically — and quickly — lowering U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
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The former Michigan governor brings experience in promoting clean-energy manufacturing. She worked with the Obama administration on an automaker bailout that pushed investment in green technology.
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Biden says he'll name someone to coordinate domestic climate policies across the government. Together with climate envoy John Kerry, it will give climate a higher profile than in past administrations.
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Environmental groups praise Kerry for his decades of climate work, including negotiating the Paris Agreement. He will face challenges after four years of a diminished U.S. role in climate diplomacy.
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His sweeping proposals aimed to make the U.S. carbon neutral by 2050. But without a Democratic Senate, Biden may be forced to compromise and do what he can through executive action.
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Despite the cascade of other crises this year, climate change has emerged as a key election issue. The two major-party presidential candidates' positions on it could not be more different.
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The Trump administration is rushing to finalize some of its biggest environmental rollbacks ahead of November's election. Some affected groups say they're too distracted by the pandemic to engage.
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Global energy demand, particularly for coal, is falling sharply this year, the International Energy Agency says. The drop is caused by weather patterns and COVID-19 shutdowns.
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The Trump administration is replacing Obama-era fuel economy standards with weaker ones that will allow for more air pollution. Groups are already lining up to challenge the new rule.
