Renewables also have their dark side that none of the proponents want to talk about, or if they do they use whataboutism to point out that at least it’s not as bad as X and Y. Even the name renewable is a falsehood to tap into the idea of some perpetual cycle that doesn’t harm anything.

Although I agree with your point, the real loss of focus goes even further than energy production. It’s energy demand. What was the first R in the three Rs of the 70s that was quickly tossed for just Recycling? Reduce. We have done a poor, poor job of any type of reduction, in fact we’re done the opposite thanks to consumerism and population growth, both warned about long ago. And now the rest of the world wants to join in on the higher standard of living (which is understandable), and that can only push the line faster up.