Because we have lost pragmatism over the last 40 years more or less. The leading politicians like to treat people in a way as if these didn't understand what's going on. So instead of saying energy independent, they call it CO2 tax. Their fake morality is what is actually causing all this.

Radical ideology has taken over, rather than pragmatic ideas. I don't know how that happened, but I know we are paying the price for it, although EU is rich enough to do exactly what China is doing. That alone would put us in a better position.