The New York Times has the story of Exxon winning rights to explore and drill for oil in the Kara Sea, which lies in the Russian-claimed region of the Arctic Ocean. The most depressing paragraph? "Once seen as a useless, ice-clogged backwater, the Kara Sea has become the focus of attention by oil companies in part because the sea ice appears to be receding, possibly because of global warming, easing exploration and drilling."