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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The decision could have an impact on Missouri, where the GOP-led legislature in 2022 passed a law banning sleeping on public land. Critics said the Missouri law essentially criminalized homelessness, although it was later overturned on a technicality. -
In nearly half of metro areas, buyers must make more than $100,000 to afford a median-priced home, a new report finds. And home prices this year reached a new all-time high. See how cities in Missouri and Kansas compare to the national average. -
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. -
The move would ease approval for major infrastructure projects. It could mean federal agencies won't need to consider climate impacts of things like pipelines and highways. -
In an East Room event that played like a campaign rally, President Trump touted his push for clean air and "crystal clear" water. He made no mention of climate change, a growing concern for voters. -
Nearly 90 percent of Kentucky's electricity is from coal — the cheap energy source that helped build its manufacturing economy. Now it's struggling to respond as more businesses want clean energy. -
The EPA says it will keep limits on toxic mercury emissions from coal plants but now deems them not cost-effective. Environmental groups worry the move could hinder future regulations. -
The Trump administration released a major climate assessment on Black Friday. It is the most detailed and blunt assessment yet of the dangers of unchecked global warming. -
Some of the oldest farmland in America is on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. But as sea levels rise, saltwater is killing crops and threatening a way of life. -
EPA chief Scott Pruitt said the recent scrutiny he has received over ethical issues is an effort to undermine the president's agenda.
