The replacements were technically and economically inferior. Just like carbon neutral sources of energy. And the phase-out stimulated research for viable substi

The replacements were technically and economically inferior. Just like carbon neutral sources of energy. And the phase-out stimulated research for viable substitutes. It's a vicious/virtuous circle, we aren't hostages of an implacable march of science, we are in the driver's seat. If we want to go to the Moon, we go there, and if we decide it's not worth it, the Moon tech does not magically get better over time. So "we don't have the technology alternative" is just code word for "let's do nothing"; if better energy sources were magically available, the economics would simply work by itself and the problem of global warming would disappear. (That's not to say anything politicians think up is possible, but that political and scientific forces go hand in hand in such endeavors)