With May 2018 ranking as the warmest such month on record in the continental U.S., beating out the Dust Bowl May of 1934, the country has extended a much longer heat streak. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the country has had its warmest 3-year, 4-year, and 5-year periods on record through May 2018.
Why it matters: The unusually mild temperatures are one way that global warming is affecting the U.S., as long-term temperatures trend higher. Even if individual months fail to break a heat record, such as April 2018, the long-term trend is clear.
Tesla is planning to cut around 9% of its employees, or around 3,300 people, according to a company wide email sent by CEO Elon Musk. Tesla shares went down following the report but are up overall for the day.
Musk added that the layoffs are not expected to affect the automaker's Model 3 production schedule, and that criticism of Tesla's inability to turn a profit is "valid and fair."
As part of this effort, and the need to reduce costs and become profitable, we have made the difficult decision to let go of approximately 9% of our colleagues across the company. These cuts were almost entirely made from our salaried population and no production associates were included, so this will not affect our ability to reach Model 3 production targets in the coming months.
E-scooter company Bird is seeking to raise around $200 million in new funding at a $2 billion valuation, according to multiple sources.
Big picture: This would be just weeks after it raised $150 million at a $1 billion valuation, and only three months after raising at a $300 million valuation. Venture capitalists have never before participated in such a rapid and rocketing price spike.
Why it matters: Kleiner Perkins’ investments in green tech were famously a bust, but according to partner Dave Mount, G2VP will focus on the areas that did deliver financial returns — applications of digital tech to sustainability and heavy industry. He cites agricultural data management company Farmers Edge and fleet management software provider Telogis as examples.
Tesla's former safety director, Carlos Ramirez, claims in a lawsuit that the California-based electric car maker fired him for internally raising concerns about the company's failure to report workplace injuries, Gizmodo's Jalopnik reports. Tesla reportedly responded to the suit, stating that Ramirez was fired after receiving an "onslaught of complaints" about his behavior.
Why it matters, per Axios' Future editor Steve LeVine: Tesla CEO Elon Musk has an optics problem. This latest round of hysterics began with a news report about outsize workplace injuries at Tesla's Fremont plant. Musk claimed he was under attack by fake news. Now we have a former executive claiming he was fired for reporting the same thing internally.
13 Republican senators are urging President Trump to back a policy achieved under former President Obama that they say would create American manufacturing jobs. It would also cut greenhouse gas emissions, but that went unmentioned.
Why it matters: In a letter, dated last week and obtained by Axios on Monday, the senators don’t mention "Obama" or "climate change." It's one of the starkest signs of how the Republican Party is willing to support efforts cutting emissions as long as they don’t mention one of these two hyper-polarizing topics.
Foreign enemies are increasingly launching cyberattacks on U.S. critical infrastructure, including energy facilities. To protect against attacks that could compromise electric service, grid operators must comply with mandatory standards overseen by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
Yes, but: The U.S. has no comparable standards for its network of pipelines. As abundant and affordable natural gas has become a major part of the fuel mix, the cybersecurity threats to that supply have taken on new urgency.
China-based electric vehicle startup Byton announced that it has closed a $500 million fundraising round and that investors include the major Chinese battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL).
What's happening: Byton introduced an electric SUV concept early this year and plans to begin mass production in 2019. The company is also planning other vehicles.
The bottom line: The oil-and-gas giant warned that their "Rivalry" scenario — where geopolitical and trade conflict, weakened multilateral institutions and other forces erode efforts on climate — is looking more likely.
