Shell have announced a pull-out from the Arctic - surely this is good news?

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The Shell company has announced that it is going to end its drilling operations in the sea to the north of Alaska. It says that this is due to the finds of oil and gas in the region being a lot less than they had expected, but many people believe that the worldwide and sustained campaign against Shell by environmental groups such as Greenpeace has been a major factor in their decision. This is surely the best possible news for everyone who is concerned about protecting this very special region from "big oil" and the dangers posed by oil spills and blow-outs. A repeat of the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico would be catastrophic were it to occur in the Arctic, so the news from Shell is very welcome. This is also very encouraging for campaigners because it shows that when public opinion is mobilised against powerful commercial interests it can be very effective. Shell realise that bad publicity can only harm their bottom line - it took three years to get them to admit it, but eventually that is what they have done!