Europeans really don’t want war on their continent. There are options which the governments can employ. Governments can offer free public transit, they can mandate remote work, they can mandate worker pick-ups for large workplaces, etc. There are a lot of inefficiencies in Europe’s energy uses, and during an energy crisis these inefficiencies will have to be tackled no matter the cost. And Europe does have the money to pay for these. Will it be inconvenient? Yes. Will it be devastating, probably not nearly as devastating as the war in Ukraine.
I stand by what I said. Europe really doesn’t want this war, and I bet most people are willing to suffer an energy crisis with the hope that it will stop earlier. And if governments fail to offer remedies during the energy crisis, it is on them and they will suffer in the polls.