It is widely believed that one solution to environmental problems would be for governments to raise the price of petrol. While I consider that this might be an effective measure, I would argue that other measures might have an even greater impact.
If national authorities raised taxes on petrol, this would address two environmental issues. Firstly, in terms of private cars, motorists would limit the number and length of their journeys to compensate for the extra expense. Governments would then be forced to upgrade and expand public transport provision, as people would still need to travel to work, to school, or to travel to shops and hospitals, for example. Secondly, from the perspective of freight services, more goods would have to be transported by rail rather than by truck. Both these measures would cut down on emissions from vehicles and help to reduce the greenhouse effect.
On the other hand, while this rise in fuel prices might be a useful stopgap measure, governments could adopt transport policies which would be more effective in the long term. The local authorities in London, for instance, introduced a congestion charge on all vehicles visiting the city center. They use the money raised to subsidize the cost of fares and to invest in transport infrastructure. In turn, this has improved the air quality in the city, as a result of the reduction in exhaust fumes. Another policy would be to introduce free bus and train passes, as the increased use of public transport would reduce pollution from private cars and help in the effort to combat global warming.
In conclusion, a sharp rise in petrol prices would be a useful environmentally-friendly transport policy. However, other measures, such as congestion charges and free public transport passes, might have a more substantial and lasting impact on reducing emissions and combating global warming.