"Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine marks the end of the West’s Era of Illusions."

"Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine marks the end of the West’s Era of Illusions. It was an era in which Western elites obsessed about solving climate change because the climate crisis was far more dangerous than issues of war and peace and the stability of the international system. They even convinced themselves that climate change causes war, so climate change policy could double as national security policy; and, for many years, the annual round of kumbaya UN climate talks was the apogee of international relations....
    "In June 2014, ... [the] U.S. secretary of state complained about the impact of Russian money on financing 'astroturf' environmental campaigns. 'We were up against Russia pushing oligarchs and others to buy media. We were even up against phoney environmental groups, and I’m a big environmentalist, but these were funded by the Russians to stand against any effort, "Oh that pipeline, that fracking, that whatever will be a problem for you," and a lot of the money supporting that message was coming from Russia",' Hillary Clinton said.
    "Putin understands the importance of energy as an essential component of American strategic power....
    "Putin’s invasion of Ukraine plunges the world into its gravest emergency since the Cuban missile crisis sixty years ago. It puts into perspective the folly of those ... who confuse imaginary crises with real ones."

          ~ Rupert Darwall, from his article 'John Kerry: Putin's Useful Climate Idiot'