In terms of overall energy, fossil fuels are an even larger proportion, 84.3 percent.

For its part, green energy — wind, solar, and other renewables — accounts for around 10 percent of global electricity, and even less of total energy.

Vladimir Putin knew this and understood the power it gave him, even if European policy-makers couldn’t be bothered to think a tiny bit strategically.

Did they not notice that coal was the mainstay of Britain’s rise to global power in the 19th century?

Did they forget the role of oil in World War I and World War II, let alone subsequent 20th-century history?