>You may not think raising gas prices is the sort of force that might incur damage

I do not think that at all. There will be lots of damage. That is the whole point, we cannot effectively reduce energy consumption without reducing consumption which is moving less mass less distances.

Either less humans period fly to Tahiti for honeymoons, or more humans live a much lower quality of life (what is considered quality of life today).

Hence the political intractability of the problem.