Nathan Rott Nathan Rott is a correspondent on NPR's National Desk, where he focuses on environment issues and the American West.
Nathan Rott at NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C., September 27, 2018. (photo by Allison Shelley)
Stories By

Nathan Rott

Allison Shelley/NPR
Nathan Rott at NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C., September 27, 2018. (photo by Allison Shelley)
Allison Shelley/NPR

Nathan Rott

Correspondent, National Desk

Nathan Rott is a correspondent on NPR's National Desk, where he focuses on environment issues and the American West.

Based at NPR West in Culver City, California, Rott spends a lot of his time on the road, covering everything from breaking news stories like California's wildfires to in-depth issues like the management of endangered species and many points between.

Rott owes his start at NPR to two extraordinary young men he never met. As the first recipient of the Stone and Holt Weeks Fellowship in 2010, he aims to honor the memory of the two brothers by carrying on their legacy of making the world a better place.

A graduate of the University of Montana, Rott prefers to be outside at just about every hour of the day. Prior to working at NPR, he worked a variety of jobs including wildland firefighting, commercial fishing, children's theater teaching, and professional snow-shoveling for the United States Antarctic Program. Odds are, he's shoveled more snow than you.

Story Archive

Friday

California asks for federal assistance ahead of another wave of extreme storms

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Thursday

California braces for atmospheric rivers which will likely cause more flooding

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Thursday

A farmer shows the damages done to his cocoa plantation by an elephant in West Africa. New research says climate change is putting wildlife and humans in conflict more often. SIA KAMBOU/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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SIA KAMBOU/AFP via Getty Images

Friday

Tuesday

California lost more than 36 million trees in the last year alone

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Tuesday

The death toll in the Monterey Park shooting rises to 11

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Monday

Monterey Park shooting update

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No motive is known yet for the mass shooting at Lunar New Year festival

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Monday

Thursday

Extreme weather, fueled by climate change, cost the U.S. $165 billion in 2022

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Wednesday

Storms keep pummeling California, causing widespread flooding and evacuations

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Tuesday

Hurricane Ian caused $112.9 billion dollars and more than 150 deaths when it slammed into south Florida in 2022, making it the costliest climate-fueled disaster in the U.S. last year. Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption

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Win McNamee/Getty Images

Extreme weather, fueled by climate change, cost the U.S. $165 billion in 2022

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Wednesday

Deforestation is a major threat to the survival of orangutan. Here a baby sumatran orangutan plays around in a tree as they train at Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme's rehabilitation center in Indonesia. Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images hide caption

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Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images

A U.N. biodiversity convention aims to slow humanity's 'war with nature'

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Tuesday

Delegates meet with a mandate to set global biodiversity goals for the next ten years

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Saturday

Winter to bring new war tactics for Russian fighters in Ukraine

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Thursday

Ukrainians prepare for winter by cutting down trees, raising concerns about forests

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Sunday

Logging in the recently liberated areas West of Izium is dangerous and punishable by fines. Unexploded ordnance litters the ground. But some loggers take the risk for the opportunity to harvest and deliver the wood to people who need heat. Claire Harbage/NPR hide caption

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Claire Harbage/NPR

How Russia is weaponizing the Ukrainian winter

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The COP27 summit went late into overtime, with Sameh Shoukry, president of the climate summit, speaking during a closing session on Sunday. Peter Dejong/AP hide caption

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Peter Dejong/AP

Did the world make progress on climate change? Here's what was decided at global talks

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Thursday

A methane flare seen in Texas. Methane is an incredibly potent greenhouse gas that is currently released in huge quantities by oil and gas operations, landfills and agriculture. Bronte Wittpenn/Bloomberg via Getty hide caption

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Bronte Wittpenn/Bloomberg via Getty

Wednesday

The war in Ukraine is giving the country's scientists a platform

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A group of Ukrainian soldiers from the Territorial Defense load a rocket under the cover of trees in Kherson Region in October. The approaching winter may force a change in tactics, Ukrainian military units and Western military analysts say. Claire Harbage/NPR hide caption

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Claire Harbage/NPR

With winter approaching, Ukraine prepares to fight on frozen ground

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Visitors walk in the Green Zone of the UNFCCC COP27 climate conference on Nov. 10 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. The conference is bringing together political leaders and representatives from 190 countries to discuss climate-related topics including climate change adaptation, climate finance, decarbonisation, agriculture and biodiversity. The conference is running from November 6-18. Sean Gallup/Getty Images hide caption

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Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Tuesday