What role should the government place in encouraging or requiring people to be conscious of the environmental impact of their actions?

The government has an indisputable role in the exponential decline of our environment. It is not just the governments responsibility, but their moral obligation to take severe steps to take control of the climate catastrophe. This includes putting regulations not just on themselves, but big corporations and people. The fact is that the government has been in support of things such as oil mining, and mass fishing, and even dumping trash into the ocean. These are all things that gain mass media coverage that the government has the ability to enact legislature that can prevent this from being legal. It is incredibly important to push the line from a moral obligation, to just an obligation. With the rapid decline of the world, there is not time to get people of board with being willing to do their part. They will however stop at traffic lights and pay their taxes. That's exactly what the government must do now. Treat climate issues like any other citizen obligation. With refusal to comply being punished through hefty fines. There needs to be accountability for big corporations as well, and a check and balance to make sure they cannot pay their way out of responsibility.

1, 4, and 5 are all conflicts