NASA analysis reveals that 2017 was the second hottest year on record since 1880, reaching global temperatures 1.62 degrees Fahrenheit higher "than the 1951 to 1980 mean."
Why it matters: Per NASA, the five hottest years ever recorded have all been since 2010, and the change in Earth's surface temperature is "driven largely by increased carbon dioxide and other human-made emissions."
Jack Gerard, who has served as president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute for the last decade, announced today he’s stepping down later this year.
Why it matters: Gerard, 60, has been a fixture in Washington’s influence scene for decades. Before leading API, he led trade associations representing mining and chemical companies. At API, he’s pushed the agenda of one of the deepest pocketed industries during a particular tumultuous time for the sector: the oil and natural gas boom, BP oil spill and the onset of climate-change policies.
Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency, doesn't expect to see much oil flowing from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for more than a decade.
On the record: The IEA chief told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Tuesday that modest prices and the bountiful shale opportunities will temper industry interest despite the region's proximity to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and potentially huge hydrocarbon resources.
BP CEO Bob Dudley is bullish on a lasting cooperation between Russia and OPEC, a position he told Axios in an exclusive interview goes against conventional wisdom.
Why it matters: Dudley has extensive experience working in Russia and with Russian companies. BP has an almost 20% stake in Rosneft, the Russian state-owned oil company whose CEO, Igor Sechin, is among the individuals the U.S. government has sanctioned.
