You are correct. The entire Bitcoin network could be operated on a single machine. The amount of electricity being wasted in ungodly.
People waste more electricity watching cat videos on youtube than is spent on mining bitcoin.
If there was a law that forbid you to do anything stupid and useless with your electrical energy we would be living pretty boring life if you ask me.
Mining Pools are certainly not evolution in mining it is necessity. And like all necessities when you have no choice are not good.