Considering that html emails simply are not going away, no matter how much one hates them, isn't the best course of action for us developers to mitigate, as best as possible, the risks presented?

Yes, text-only emails make things much simpler from a security standpoint. Text-only websites were also much simpler from a security standpoint.

Not to the Business. I am required to have links in my signature so at the very least I will always have one hyperlink on every email I send.