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Throughout the world, cuts in subsidies to agriculture and the opening
of trade in agricultural products modify the environmental impacts of
agriculture. The use of debt-for-nature swaps and the outright purchase
of debt for the right to exploit genetic resources contribute to the preservation
of some natural areas, especially within tropical regions, while at the
same time easing the debt burdens of these countries. Similar actions
are taken to preserve natural or cultural heritage sites that also happen
to be key tourist attractions.
Somewhat less directly, certain advances in technology and structural
changes in economies produce environmental and social benefits, through
improvements in efficiency. In transportation, the development and spread
of more efficient and cleaner fuel burning vehicles, beginning with hybrid
and moving towards fuel celled vehicles (with methanol as the carrier
of hydrogen) curbs the increase in fossil fuel use. The growth in transportation
is also tempered by continued progress in ICTs. More people now work from
home.
Energy efficiency continues to improve as deregulation proceeds, opening
up markets in micropower developments. Micro-power becomes increasingly
important in rural areas of the poorer regions, where the high cost of
extending electricity grids has restricted the power supply network. Improvements
in irrigation techniques and advances in desalination improve water use
efficiency, particularly in West Asia and arid parts of other regions.
Agriculture further benefits from progress in biotechnology, which increases
yields and helps to reduce the pressure on ecosystem resources in many
regions. Biotechnology also has positive effects in the areas of wastewater
treatment. Advances in nano-technology improve materials use efficiency.
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