Presidential hopeful Sen. Kamala Harris has said that “we can change human behavior,” and the “we” in that sentence means “the government.”
One way it does change behavior is through the tax system. As has been pointed out numerous times, if a government wants more of something they will subsidize it (for instance, wind power, electric cars, college education); if they want less of something (or lessen its use) they will tax it (for instance, luxury items, gasoline).