Furthermore, many countries lack a legal framework or even a stable government to protect property rights. As a result the rivers have no real protectors. Hungry people are more concerned with where their next meal is coming from than about saving local waterways, which allows neglect and degradation. The way out for these nations is economic growth to insure the basic needs of their citizens. Contrary to what the recent World Trade Organization protesters claimed, trade and transfer of technology to these nations can only help their environment.
Growth can allow the countries in question to focus on more than mere survival.
However, a robust economy is a necessary but not sufficient condition for environmental preservation. What ails the Colorado is not an industry or specific farmer dumping into the pure banks, but the presence of nonpoint-source pollution that cannot be traced to a single source. Environmental regulations in the United States are notoriously ineffective in dealing with this sort of pollution, suggesting a different approach is needed. Along with economic strength, regulatory plans must allow economic power to be brought to bear effectively. Cooperative, community-based methods are a superior way to do this.