Fossil fuels needed to be the embarrassing, temporary stopgap to renewables and nuclear... instead we shut our eyes and ears and told ourselves it would meet all our needs. We should have started connecting the planet with railways fifty years ago in preparation for cleaner energy. Cars ought to be as unnecessary and shameful as private jets, and freight shouldn't exist if it can't be done very cleanly... I suppose hindsight is 20/20 but we're not at a point where we can make any of those transitions without huge amounts of pain now.