Companies and governments need to join for Arctic exploration

Arctic exploration is complex and expensive, meaning governments will probably have to join forces with companies to make it happen

The recent history of Arctic oil and gas exploration has been littered with false starts, as projects in countries including the US, Norway and Russia have been delayed or abandoned. While accidents - or the potential for them - and technological problems tend to make the headlines, it is really the sheer scale of investment required that makes companies nervous. The tricky conditions for explorers are well illustrated by Shell's decision in January 2014 to suspend its Alaskan Arctic operations for this year, having sunk upwards of $5 billion into its plans to drill in the Beaufort and Chukchi Sea. The company has little to show for the time and money spent other than a wrecked rig - the Kul