The windfalls that BP, Chevron, Equinor, ExxonMobil, Shell and Total revealed in their end-of-year results have sparked outrage and accusations of war profiteering.
It has also cast doubt over the commitment of executives, politicians and investors to the Paris climate agreement to slow global warming by bringing down emissions.
After years of pressuring big oil to curb production, political leaders from London to Berlin to Washington changed tack last year as prices surged, calling on companies to boost output or help them procure replacements for Russian fossil fuels following Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Those companies that were best positioned to respond were the most rewarded by investors.
US giant ExxonMobil, which has resisted pressure to decarbonise more than any other energy major, increased production in 2022 and its shares rallied more than 50% in the year as it raked in a record $55.7 billion in profits.
