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Daniel Howard Yergin (born February 6, 1947) is an American author, speaker, energy expert, and economic historian. Yergin is vice chairman of
S&P Global S&P Global Inc. (prior to April 2016 McGraw Hill Financial, Inc., and prior to 2013 The McGraw–Hill Companies, Inc.) is an American publicly traded corporation headquartered in Manhattan, New York City. Its primary areas of business are financ ...
. He was formerly vice chairman of
IHS Markit IHS Markit Ltd was an information services provider that completed a merger with S&P Global in 2022. Headquartered in London, it was formed in 2016 with the merger of IHS Inc. and Markit Ltd. History IHS Information Handling Services (IHS) "was ...
, which merged with S&P in 2022. He founded Cambridge Energy Research Associates, which IHS Markit acquired in 2004. He has authored or co-authored several books on energy and world economics, including the
Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made ...
–winning '' The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power,'' (1991) '' The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World'' (2011), and ''The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations'' (2020). Yergin's articles and
op-eds An op-ed, short for "opposite the editorial page", is a written prose piece, typically published by a North-American newspaper or magazine, which expresses the opinion of an author usually not affiliated with the publication's editorial board. ...
on energy, history, and the economy have been published in publications such as ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'', ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
'', and the ''
Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...
''. All of Yergin's books have been drafted in long-hand. Currently a director on entities such as the
Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921, it is a nonprofit organization that is independent and nonpartisan. CFR is based in New York Ci ...
and the United States Energy Association, he is also a trustee of the
Brookings Institution The Brookings Institution, often stylized as simply Brookings, is an American research group founded in 1916. Located on Think Tank Row in Washington, D.C., the organization conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in e ...
and a long-term advisor to several U.S. administrations, as well as chairman of the annual CERAWeek energy conference.


Early life and education

Yergin was born on February 6, 1947 in
Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
. His father Irving Yergin worked at
Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
and was editor of ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...
'' and a former journalist in
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
. His mother Naomi Yergin was a sculptor and painter. Yergin is
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
. He attended Beverly Hills High School.Redburn, Tom
"'Energy Future' Goes Beyond Ivory Tower"
, ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...
'', August 19, 1979. Retrieved December 15, 2007. "Fifteen years ago, Daniel Yergin left Beverly Hills High School to attend Yale University and, except for summer jobs and brief visits, he hasn't been back here since."
He received his BA from
Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...
in 1968, where he wrote for the ''
Yale Daily News The ''Yale Daily News'' is an independent student newspaper published by Yale University students in New Haven, Connecticut since January 28, 1878. It is the oldest college daily newspaper in the United States. The ''Yale Daily News'' has consis ...
'' and was founder of '' The New Journal'' in 1967. He was also a member of the prank senior society, The Pundits and the literary society, Elizabethan Club. He received his M.A. in 1970 and his
PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * '' Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. al ...
in international history from
Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
, where he was a
Marshall Scholar The Marshall Scholarship is a postgraduate scholarship for "intellectually distinguished young Americans ndtheir country's future leaders" to study at any university in the United Kingdom. It is widely considered one of the most prestigious ...
. While at Cambridge, he wrote for various British magazines as well as ''
The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
'', where he was a contributing editor, and ''
The New York Times Magazine ''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors. ...
''. He has honorary doctorates from
Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...
,
Colorado School of Mines The Colorado School of Mines, informally called Mines, is a public research university in Golden, Colorado, founded in 1874. The school offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, science, and mathematics, with a focus on en ...
,
University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...
, and the
University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded in ...
.


Career


1970s

Early in his career, Yergin worked as a contributing editor for ''New York'' magazine. Through 1980, he was a lecturer at the
Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA ...
and, until 1985, a lecturer at
Harvard Kennedy School The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, publi ...
. Yergin's first book, ''Shattered Peace: The Origins of the Cold War and the National Security State'' (1977), was partly based upon his doctoral dissertation and focused on the origins of the
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...
. It was named "best book of the year" by the National Historical Society. In the mid-1970s, while a post-doctoral fellow, he began to take a particular interest in energy in his writing. Basing the book on four years of research, with Robert B. Stobaugh he co-authored and co-edited ''Energy Future: The Report of the Energy Project at the Harvard Business School'' in 1979. According to the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...
'', the book "caused a considerable stir with its optimistic view of the possibilities of energy conservation and such alternative sources as solar power." It proved to be a ''The New York Times'' bestseller, ultimately selling 300,000 copies in six languages. Within its first year of release, Yergin and Stobaugh were called to Washington, D.C. several times to testify before Congressional committees. He also advised James Schlesinger, the first US energy secretary, around the time of the
Iranian revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dyna ...
. According to ''
Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was est ...
'', "since then he has given advice to every administration."


1980s–1990s

He founded Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA) with Jamey Rosenfield in 1982 with the purchase of a $2 file cabinet from
The Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestant church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. The organisation reports a worldwide membership of over 1.7million, comprising soldiers, officers and adherents col ...
. With Yergin as president, the energy research and consulting firm was created as a "quasi think-tank and source of energy industry analysis." Yergin is arguably best known for his fourth book, '' The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power'' (1991). It became a number-one bestseller that won the
Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction The Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are awarded annually for the "Letters, Drama, and Music" category. The award is given to a nonfiction book written by an American author and published duri ...
in 1992 and the Eccles Prize for the best book on economics for a general audience, selling around 700,000 copies in 17 languages. The book was adapted into a PBS/ BBC series seen by around 100 million viewers both domestically and internationally, with Yergin as the principal storyteller. His next book was ''Russia 2010 and What It Means for the World'' (1993), written with Thane Gustafson, which provided scenarios for the development of Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union.


2000s–2010s

His 2002 book ''The Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy'', written with Joseph Stanislaw, described in narrative form the struggle over the "frontier" between governments and markets and the rise of globalization. In the "first major PBS series on business in more than a decade," he led the team that created an Emmy-winning six-hour PBS/BBC television series based on the book, serving as executive producer and co-writer and interviewing individuals such as
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...
,
Dick Cheney Richard Bruce Cheney ( ; born January 30, 1941) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He is currently the oldest living former ...
,
Vicente Fox Vicente Fox Quesada (; born 2 July 1942) is a Mexican businessman and politician who served as the 62nd president of Mexico from 1 December 2000 to 30 November 2006. After campaigning as a right-wing populist, Fox was elected president on the ...
, and
Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet politician who served as the 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to the country's dissolution in 1991. He served as General Secretary of the Com ...
. CERA was acquired by the information company IHS Inc. in 2004, with Yergin becoming an executive of the combined company and remaining chairman of CERA. Described as a sequel to his book ''The Prize,'' Yergin's '' The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World'' (2011) continued his history of the global oil industry but also addressed energy security, natural gas, electric power, climate change and the search for renewable sources of energy. Like his previous books, it was drafted in long-hand. In 2011 it was shortlisted for the
Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award ''Financial Times'' Business Book of the Year Award is an annual award given to the best business book of the year as determined by the '' Financial Times''. It aims to find the book that has 'the most compelling and enjoyable insight into modern ...
.


2020s

In September 2020, Yergin published ''The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations.'' Paperback edition.


Viewpoints and research

Yergin's articlesA Price Tag to Growth
''
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'', February 23, 2007
and
op-eds An op-ed, short for "opposite the editorial page", is a written prose piece, typically published by a North-American newspaper or magazine, which expresses the opinion of an author usually not affiliated with the publication's editorial board. ...
on energy, history, and the economy have been published in a variety of publications, including ''The Wall Street Journal'',Crisis in the Pipeline
Daniel Yergin, ''The Wall Street Journal'', August 10, 2006
''The New York Times'',
''The New York Times'', September 20, 2011
''
Foreign Affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy a ...
'', ''The Washington Post'', the ''
Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...
'', and ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
''. He has also been interviewed about energy policy and international politics on various television programs. In 2003 he became
CNBC CNBC (formerly Consumer News and Business Channel) is an American basic cable business news channel. It provides business news programming on weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time, while broadcasting talk s ...
's global energy expert, which he continued to do for a decade, and in September 2011 he appeared on ''
The Colbert Report ''The Colbert Report'' ( ) is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired four days a week on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005, to December 18, 2014, for 1,447 episodes. The show fo ...
'' to discuss wind and solar power. In a 2011 essay published in ''The Wall Street Journal'', Yergin criticized predictions of imminent peak oil. Instead of a peak, Yergin predicted that future oil production would plateau as increasing prices moderate demand and stimulate production.Yergin, Daniel
"There will be oil"
''The Wall Street Journal'', September 17, 2011.
He also addressed peak oil in a chapter in ''The Quest'' entitled "Is the World Running Out of Oil?"'' The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World''.
Penguin Press Penguin Group is a British trade book publisher and part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by the German media conglomerate Bertelsmann. The new company was created by a merger that was finalised on 1 July 2013, with Bertelsmann initiall ...
, 2011. . (Revised, reprint edition, 2012.)
In 2019, Yergin and former U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz led a major 229-page study, ''Advancing the Landscape of Clean Energy Innovation'', which was conducted by IHS Markit and Energy Futures Initiative for the Breakthrough Energy coalition, led by Bill Gates. The study identified ten areas for transformational energy breakthroughs. ''Axios'' quoted Yergin, "The purpose of the report is to provide a framework and a guide to people who want to invest in clean energy innovation." Yergin chaired IHS Markit's study on "Reinventing the Wheel," which focused on changing transportation methods, the role of electric vehicles, and the timing of peak oil demand.


Memberships and directorships

Yergin is the current vice chairman of S&P Global, appointed during the company's merger with IHS Markit. He became the vice chairman of IHS in 2012 and remained vice chairman when IHS merged with Markit in 2016. He is also chairman of S&P's annual CERAWeek energy conference. He previously chaired the
US Department of Energy The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government that oversees U.S. national energy policy and manages the research and development of nuclear power and nuclear weapons in the United States. ...
's Task Force on Strategic Energy Research and Development. He is a trustee of the
Brookings Institution The Brookings Institution, often stylized as simply Brookings, is an American research group founded in 1916. Located on Think Tank Row in Washington, D.C., the organization conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in e ...
, where he chairs the energy security roundtable. He is currently a director on the
Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921, it is a nonprofit organization that is independent and nonpartisan. CFR is based in New York Ci ...
, United States Energy Association, and the U.S.-Russia Business Council. He serves on the National Petroleum Council, which advises the U.S. Secretary of Energy. He is on the advisory boards of the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of th ...
Energy Initiative, the
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
Center on Global Energy Policy, and
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
's International Energy Advisory Panel. Yergin has been a member of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board under Presidents
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...
, George W. Bush,
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
, and
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
. In December 2016 Yergin joined a business forum composed primarily of CEOs assembled to provide strategic and policy advice on economic issues to President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
. The forum was disbanded in August 2017.


Awards

Yergin was awarded the 1997 United States Energy Award for "lifelong achievements in energy and the promotion of international understanding." The International Association for Energy Economics gave Dr. Yergin its 2012 award for "outstanding contributions to the profession of energy economics and to its literature." In 2014 the
Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...
presented Yergin with a Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2015 the
University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest- ...
presented him with the first Carnot Prize for "distinguished contributions to energy policy." The U.S. Department of Energy awarded him the first James Schlesinger Medal for Energy Security in 2014.


Publishing history


Books as author

*
Shattered Peace: The Origins of the Cold War and the National Security State
'. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1977. Reprints: Penguin, 1978, 1980, ; Penguin, rev. & updated, 1990, . *'' The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power''. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1991. . Reprint: Simon & Schuster, 1992, . *'' The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World''.
Penguin Press Penguin Group is a British trade book publisher and part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by the German media conglomerate Bertelsmann. The new company was created by a merger that was finalised on 1 July 2013, with Bertelsmann initiall ...
, 2011. .The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World
''
Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
'', July 11, 2011
(Revised, reprint edition, 2012.) *''The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations''.
Penguin Press Penguin Group is a British trade book publisher and part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by the German media conglomerate Bertelsmann. The new company was created by a merger that was finalised on 1 July 2013, with Bertelsmann initiall ...
, 2020. .The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations
''
Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
'',September 01, 2020


Books as co-author

*''Energy Future: The Report of the Energy Project at the Harvard Business School''. New York: Random House, 1979. . Reprints: Ballantine Books, ; Knopf, 3rd ed., 1982, ; Random House, new revised 3rd ed., 1990. ith Robert B. Stobaugh.*''Global Insecurity: A Strategy for Energy and Economic Renewal''. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1982. . Reprint: Viking Penguin Books, 1983, . ith_Martin_Hillenbrand..html" ;"title="Martin_Hillenbrand.html" ;"title="ith Martin Hillenbrand">ith Martin Hillenbrand.">Martin_Hillenbrand.html" ;"title="ith Martin Hillenbrand">ith Martin Hillenbrand.*''Russia 2010: And What It Means for the World''. New York: Random House, 1993. . Reprint: Vintage, 1995, . [With Thane Gustafson.] *''The Commanding Heights: The Battle Between Government and the Marketplace That Is Remaking the Modern World''; New York: Simon & Schuster, 1998. . [With Joseph A. Stanislaw.] **Revised, retitled and updated as '' The Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy''; New York: Free Press, 2002. .


See also

* List of Yale University people * List of American non-fiction environmental writers * List of economic advisors to Donald Trump *
List of University of Cambridge people This is a list of notable alumni from the University of Cambridge, featuring members of the University of Cambridge segregated in accordance with their fields of achievement. The individual must have either studied at the university (although they ...
*
Predicting the timing of peak oil Peak oil is the point at which oil production, sometimes including unconventional oil sources, hits its maximum. Predicting the timing of peak oil involves estimation of future production from existing oil fields as well as future discoveries. The ...


References


External links


Official website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Yergin, Daniel 1947 births 20th-century American historians 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American historians 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge 20th-century American Jews American economics writers American male non-fiction writers American nature writers American non-fiction environmental writers Beverly Hills High School alumni Harvard Business School faculty Harvard Kennedy School faculty Living people Marshall Scholars Energy economists Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction winners Yale University alumni 21st-century American Jews