Cause and Effect (Αίτιο και Αιτιατό), written in Greek in 2023 and released in April 2024, revisits the global landscape shaped by the strong Western enthusiasm for the green transition until 2021, a period when the EU intensified political pressure on fossil fuels and nuclear energy, restricted investments in oil and gas exploration, production, and infrastructure, and reduced support for baseload capacity, before the war in Ukraine forced a slow policy reversal. Bassias argues that the world is not experiencing an energy transition, but a deep economic rebalancing driven by the pandemic, the war, and shifting geopolitical alliances, highlighting Europe’s growing dependence on imported gas and Chinese‑made renewables and the decades‑long timeline required for new technologies to mature. Drawing on his experience as president of Greece’s state company for oil and gas exploration and production from 2017 to 2020, he stresses the strategic importance of Greece’s own hydrocarbon reserves, which were sidelined after 2020 despite their potential to strengthen national energy security. For Greece, he identifies both vulnerability and opportunity, noting that a pragmatic, technology‑driven strategy could reposition the country as a regional energy hub. Ultimately, the book calls for realism, arguing that today’s turbulence reflects economic forces far deeper than the green narrative suggests. The book was calling already in 2024 for realism, strategic planning, and a reassessment of Europe’s and Greece’s energy policies, warning that political narratives often obscure the structural forces at play. For policymakers, analysts, and anyone following the energy debate, the book provides a sobering, data-driven counterpoint to optimistic narratives about rapid decarbonization.