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For the oil industry business comes first. After years of preparation, on Saturday Exxon began drilling a $700 million well in the Kara Sea in Russia's Arctic. It is Russia’s most northerly well.

Earlier this week in London, in a novel action which some are calling a “playtest”, over 50 young children gathered outside Shell's London headquarters to protest against the oil giant’s Arctic drilling programme and its controversial collaboration with the iconic children’s toy-maker, Lego.

Late last week, the Norwegian government issued a license to energy giant Statoil to allow it to start drilling in the controversial Arctic waters of the Barents Sea.

Ignoring the potential threat of further sanctions, both Exxon and BP have strengthened ties with Russia’s state-controlled oil company, Rosneft, in deals that can also only be seen as bad news for the climate.

After spending $ 5 billion on a fruitless and damaging Arctic drilling campaign, Shell has admitted defeat by suspending its plans to drill in the Arctic this summer.

This is the scientific paper that should stop all Arctic drilling now. It should also stop the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. It is yet another warning that business as usual for the oil industry is just not acceptable.

Yesterday was the eighteen anniversary of the murder of Ken Saro-Wiwa. The charismatic, pipe-smoking activist was murdered by the brutal military junta for his campaign against Shell in the Niger Delta.

This morning the Russian state prosecutor officially laid charges of piracy against a Greenpeace activist from Brazil who had protested against oil drilling in the Arctic. A freelance videographer from Britain has also been charged with piracy.