According to some people, the best course of action that can be taken to resolve issues related to environment is to make fuel prohibitively expensive. I argue this measure itself falls short to achieve the feat.
Admittedly, one of the main causes of environmental problems is the release of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen into atmosphere, and the main emitters of these gases are fuel-powered vehicles and factories. People opt for cars which run in petrol due to its relatively cheap cost. If governments charged more for fuel, probably it would encourage people to go for more environmentally friendly means of getting around, say, bikes or electro cars, resulting in less damage to the environment. As for the factories, it is no secret that their main concern is making money. High costs will translate into small profit margins, driving them to turn to alternative energy sources.
This step, however, is not sufficient to counter the negative effects of human activity towards the nature. For one, high prices are not much of a deterrent for most people today; people have become addicted to their cars, and the chances are they don't mind paying out more for petrol. As for factories, although they might be willing to embrace green energy, implementation of it may take a while. What we can do instead is raise awareness among public about adverse effects of human activity on the planet. By educating people on the importance of preservation of environment, we can get people to be more environmentally conscious. This seems to be working in countries like Japan, which has become one of the healthiest places to live.
To conclude, raising the price of fuel is not enough to turn the current upsetting condition of environment around. Environmental campaigns, in my mind, yield better results in the long run.
