The other side of the problem, however, is increasing consumption per capita. Increasing consumption per capita is a characteristic of the wealthier, developed world. Adjustments on both sides will be required if any sustainable solution is to be achieved. We must face the fact that, just as there were times when tigers would not have been viable, times are coming when they will no longer be viable, except in zoos and other preserves, and the same is true for many of the treasures of our cultural heritage. Not by forcing the people of Africa to live nineteenth century lives, for instance.
Sustainability seems to be a goal that many now agree is desirable.
There are roles for novel biotechnologies and traditional technologies. These technologies can be used to help or hurt sustainability, depending on how they are applied and to what end. If technologies are wielded to achieve sustainability, then they will likely do just that. LISA clearly sounds like the type of new agriculture that we need to ameliorate the problems that the Green Revolution solution has created. If we think of certain biotechnologies, for example, then we can clearly see that biotechnologies can be a set of diverse and multifunctional tools that can help to enable LISA in the US and sustainable development and growth in the developing world.