Susan O’Keeffe: Boom time for oil giants as war rages, inflation surges and the cost of living spirals

Governments can persuade citizens to retrofit homes and fit solar panels, but the real battle will have to be fought with corporations whose power and scale is unequalled

‘Global governments know that they will struggle to do anything to change this ugly outcome where millions of people’s lives are being adversely affected while a handful of corporations are riding a profit tsunami.’ Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto

Let’s take a moment to look at this one figure. $9.1 billion. It’s more money than most of us would struggle to even imagine. But it’s no problem at all for oil giant Shell, because this is what the company has just reported as its profits. Not for a year. Not for six months.

For a mere three months. And not any old three-month period. It’s what Shell has raked in for the first three ...