TIMELINE: Shell’s Year of Arctic Screwups

James.Stringer/Flickr; ReneS/Flickr

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Last August, Shell got a long-awaited go-ahead from US regulators to begin exploratory oil drilling in the Arctic. It’s a potential gold mine for the company—up to a fifth of the world’s untapped oil resources are in the Arctic. But instead of rolling in cash, Shell ended up getting rolled by one disaster after another, culminating in the crash in January of drilling rig and a subsequent investigation by the feds. And that was only the next act in a comedy of errors that’s been unfolding for over a year, and that finally ended—for now, anyway—this week, when the company announced it would “pause” its Arctic operations. Here’s a look back at Shell’s tumultuous run in the Arctic, featuring coverage by our Climate Desk partners:

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YOUR GIFT DOUBLES THROUGH FRIDAY

Right now, every dollar you give goes twice as far—but only until Friday’s midnight deadline. This is the moment to make your support count double.

In a climate where journalists face mounting pressure to back down, stay silent, or soften their reporting, Mother Jones refuses to flinch. We’re pushing back against intimidation and delivering fierce, independent journalism that holds power accountable—no matter who’s trying to silence us.

But here’s the reality: We’re a nonprofit newsroom with zero corporate backing and no financial cushion. We depend entirely on readers like you to fund the investigations that matter most.

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