As we sat anxiously in the office last Friday waiting for the 'we made it' call we never dreamed that four days later we would have witnessed such a massive media storm, such overwhelming global support and such tenacity from our friends who hung on so long.
This has been a fitting first chapter for what will undoubtedly be an epic battle. The battle to save one of the most beautiful, unique and iconic places on earth from the seemingly insatiable greed of the oil industry. A battle to save the world from climate change - the greatest threat we face today.
Throughout this time Shell has tried to say it wants to talk, to explain how it can drill safely in the frozen Arctic, and that there's nothing to worry about. But both common sense and scientific consensus tells us there is no way to safely drill up there in the frozen north. A spill in the icey Arctic seas would be impossible to clean up. And it is no time to talk when aging rust-bucket drill ships like the Noble Discoverer are heading for the Arctic right now. Now is the time for action.
I just greeted the team as they walked out of the police station where, oddly enough, they were charged with burglary. A legal slight of hand by the police. Of course we didn't actually steal anything, we never do.
Though maybe we did... When I think about the actions of these seven and the 133,000 people globally who joined them, we have gone a long way towards stealing back the future of the Arctic from the desperate clutches of Shell and the oil giants.
This is just the start of the story. The fight for the Arctic has only just begun.
Join us now to finish the job at greenpeace.org/savethearctic
Bunny McDiarmid is the Executive director of Greenpeace New Zealand
