Comment by triceratops

You may be surprised, but in entrenched and widespread cases if ONLY fines are used, they almost do nothing to curb bad "something". Did war on drugs in USA teach us nothing? Or extremely common cases of speeding all across the globe in places which invite people to speed and where only fines (via cameras) are used to prevent it? It doesn't work. Some famous cameras across the globe, even in the law abiding EU countries, rack up tens of thousands of infraction per month, and it happens for years and years.

On the other hand, rebuilding a road to physically slow down cars, work even without extreme fines. Providing a complex set of prevention, therapy and replacement activities for the drug users also mostly works.

Same with carbon tax, but worse - drugs or even speeding in cars are non essential. Emitting industries on the other hand often are essential. So they have even less incentive to close or downsize if fined. Instead they will do anything to continue while being taxed. Maybe they employ shifting production elsewhere, maybe bribe officials, maybe just hike prices and pray that their monopoly position will keep them in business. Point is, it won't reduce actual emissions.