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cooperation on such topics is difficult to achieve due to divergence of interests
between the actors involved in the decision (as international agreements on
environmental matters are often show). However, the environmental and hu-
man diversity forbids the identification of a unique solution for the whole
planet.
With respect to food scarcity, research aims to reduce the yield gap by
increasing the productivity of factors and/or reducing the use of scarce re-
sources, and among these those more influenced by climate change.
Earth carrying capacity might be increased by means of plant breeding and
genetic improvements that can help the cultivation of marginal soils increasing
cultivated crops tolerance with respect to salt, dry, and pests.
Investments devoted to the reduction of food production impacts can help,
mostly in mitigating the effects of by-products. The production of energy from
renewable resources (as production wastes are with respect to agriculture) in
the short term can lower the consumption of fossil fuels and support the reach
of CO 2 emissions level agreed at international level.
Investments, however, at whatever level considered (agricultural research,
biotechnology, recycling technologies, etc.) are constrained by the uncertainty
related to future scenarios and the rights ownership framework. One of the
most debated fields, nowadays, concerns property rights on biotechnology
research results. Since the legal framework is still not clear, there may be a
delay in investments and adoption of research results.
As a last remark, sustainable development implications usually imply
different effects at different levels, often with opposite results, both quanti-
tative and qualitative, which require the identification of optimal thresholds
between different goals. Hence a coherent theoretical framework that takes
into account different sources of information (like multicriteria models allow)
seems to be preferred.

REFERENCES

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