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SHELL’S push to open up the Arctic Ocean is not going well. , it may be prevented from exploratory drilling in the Beaufort Sea this year. The reason? Whaling takes priority.

With the Arctic sea ice at its lowest for at least 3 million years (see “Arctic ice low heralds end of 3-million-year cover“), the rush to exploit hitherto inaccessible resources – principally oil, fish and minerals – is well and truly on. The massive melt constitutes an environmental disaster for many of the world’s inhabitants, to say nothing of its flora and fauna (see “What ice-free summers will mean for Arctic life“), but for some people, it is simply a commercial opportunity.

The interest groups vying for the Arctic’s wealth are likely to intersect in unprecedented ways. Shell’s deferral to native Alaskans, whose traditional hunting season it is , is a portent of esoteric clashes to come.

The melting of the Arctic ice has long been forecast. Now that it is under way with a vengeance, the less predictable consequences of humanity’s impact on the climate will become clearer. Many will be startling for all concerned; short-term gains aside, few are likely to enrich our lives. Welcome to the age of global warming.