The second Exxon virtue likely to help Mr Tillerson is the firm's collection of oil and gas assets.
Tillerson said that Exxon has been working for decades with researchers at MIT studying the effects of climate change.
Chairman and CEO RexTillersonRex Tillerson said the earnings jump reflects higher crude oil realizations, improved downstream margins and stronger chemical results.
Citing the International Energy Agency, Tillerson noted that since 2006 emissions of carbon dioxide in the U.S. have fallen by 8%.
The consistent line from Rex Tillerson was that Exxon had deep enough pockets to invest through the cycle after its acquisition of XTO in 2010.
But take a broader view of the challenges facing the entire industry, and it appears that Mr Tillerson's job may not prove so easy after all.
Rex Tillerson, Chairman and CEO of Exxon Mobil Corp.
FORBES: Natural Gas Equals Energy Independence And Economic Rejuvenation
Tillerson acknowledged the massive debate over hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.
FORBES: Exxon's Tillerson Lambasts Dysfunctional Regulation For Hindering Energy Growth
His successor, Rex Tillerson, has overseen a gradual opening up.
Last year Rex Tillerson, chief executive of Exxon Mobil, took a step back from stock buybacks and allowed IBM to replace his oil behemoth as the U.S. stock repurchase leader.
FORBES: Oil Company CEOs Like Rex Tillerson Picked The Wrong Time To Boost Stock Buybacks
Speaking at the CERAWeek energy conference, Tillerson said that by 2040 Exxon expects volumes of natural gas to increase 60%, with recovery from unconventional sources like shales to grow by 400%.
FORBES: Exxon's Tillerson Lambasts Dysfunctional Regulation For Hindering Energy Growth
At the moment, Tillerson made it plain that natural gas could be used directly to power fleets of trucks for the likes of UPS as long as they enjoy refueling sites along their transportation lines.
FORBES: Natural Gas Equals Energy Independence And Economic Rejuvenation
But in the first half of 2011 Tillerson has reclaimed the top spot and Exxon Mobil once again spent more to buy back its shares than any other company in the nation at precisely the wrong time.
FORBES: Oil Company CEOs Like Rex Tillerson Picked The Wrong Time To Boost Stock Buybacks
Under Rex Tillerson, the current boss, policy changed to support for a carbon tax, a proposal so much more radical than the cap-and-trade emissions bills on offer that critics suspected it of being an intentional distraction.
Instead of cutting his teeth in the oilfields like Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson or wildcatting billionaire Harold Hamm, Watson studied agricultural economics and started his oil career as a financial analyst, not a roughneck.
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