And kids don't want to eat their vegetables or go to bed on time... Sometimes people need to be encouraged to do the thing they don't want to do, but is only in their best interest.

The stupidest part of this whole thing is now easy it would be to set up in a way that people could accept...

Levy a small carbon tax, nation wide, on all energy, for all users. The carbon tax goes into a fund, which is re-distributed to encourage the right behaviour:

• Improve / expand public transit
• Fund energy-efficiency retrofits
• Subsidize green power initiatives
• Rebates on zero-emission transport like electric bikes, and compact electric cars
• Retrain existing oil & gas industry workers to install/maintain electric infrastructure
• Cash for Clunkers to get polluting vehicles off the road
• Build new, ultra-energy efficient homes based on an improved building code
• Tax rebates to everyone in the lowest tax brackets.

Please, steal this idea.