This opinion piece is flawed in so many places one can easily miss that its basic thesis is correct. Technology and economic forces along with basic changes in social values are what will drive change, with policy being a trailing second cousin. The claim that "The best hope for the planet lies not in massive investments in wind and solar power, which can never reliably supply more than a fraction of the energy a power-hungry planet needs. " is demonstrably wrong. The world will rely on renewables of all kind for energy within thirty years, the LNG fad will be forgotten and hydrocarbons will be seen as an interesting source of molecules for innovative materials. Renewables is a lot more than solar or wind though. There are hundreds of different renewable technologies. The energy future will not rely on any one dominant mode.