Carrot and/or stick

I've been to a couple of events recently and a common theme to the debate has been 'who should take responsibility for action to address climate change: individuals or government?'.

The argument follows the line that individuals want to make a difference, so they should be given the tools/information/opportunity to do that. There is also the argument that as part of the cause of climate change, through our actions as individuals, we need to take responsibility as individuals. That's the carrot.

The counter argument is that it is the role of government to take leadership. If something is that important, they should make us do it. That's the stick.

What do I think? Well, I could sit on the fence and say it should be a combination. But we do each need to take responsibility. And government needs to lead by example.

It would be really interesting to know what others think. There is a thread on this theme on the Today and Tomorrow forum. Join in and let us know what you think.