Drive a gas-guzzler, buy a coal mine and other uses of reverse logic

Tim Harford ponders if this thinking could answer the world's problems. 

 The UK's fuel shortage led to stations limiting how much petrol could be bought, causing chaos on the roads. But what if a minimum purchase was imposed instead? The Undercover Economist reflects on his plan of fighting fuel shortages by requiring people to buy more fuel and applies this to the broader topics of queues and climate change: sometimes, the least obvious thought is the most efficient solution.