The world still gets 90% of its energy from oil, gas, and coal despite decades of green spending, and that gap between perception and reality is driving up costs for ordinary people in Europe and parts of the US.

• Solar and wind still make up only 5-6% of global energy, unchanged over the past decade despite trillions spent, while hydrocarbons remain steady at 90%.
• Europe pays far more for gas and electricity than the US because it taxes energy heavily and has shut down much of its own production for political reasons, which is bad for European families and businesses and has stalled economic growth there.
• US fracking and horizontal drilling turned America into the world's top oil and gas producer over the past 20 years, which is good for US consumers and gives the US leverage over Europe's energy supply.
• Natural gas is the hidden backbone of the global food supply because it makes the fertilizer that grows most crops, so the fallout from this year's Iran conflict and Qatar gas disruptions could raise food prices and shortages into 2027.
• Western sanctions on Russian, Iranian, and Venezuelan oil mostly backfired by letting China buy that oil cheap, letting Beijing build a massive strategic oil reserve ahead of a possible move on Taiwan.

Outlook: Expect energy and food costs to stay elevated in Europe and reliant regions, with natural gas production limits in the US seen as the next big lever for either worsening or easing the squeeze.