Higher prices, he said, would encourage farmers to maintain the size of their herds and sustain milk production.
Higher prices will encourage trucks to slow down, saving lives and fuel.
Higher prices at meters would deter those looking for parking downtown and encourage them to take public transit.
"Even a modest price for carbon would encourage investment in green jobs and reduce dependency on foreign oil imports"
High prices would then encourage long-term attention to efficiency, the officials reasoned.
The higher prices encouraged impoverished farmers to plant more coffee trees.
The low prices and the good weather have encouraged travel, and demand for gasoline has been very strong, he said.
The higher prices encouraged more people to come in and buy.
High prices for toothfish encourage still further this trend to fish in areas where controls are difficult.
And, the high prices may encourage other growers to plant more of these traditional crops next year.