 for a substantial reform of the regulatory regime that governs the sector. In developed countries, a major effort to upgrade infrastructure over the next few decades is inevitable. In developing countries, the major new infrastructure needs resulting from population growth and urbanisation can only be accommodated if an appropriate pricing scheme is put in place. This will be a challenging task given the need of ensuring, at the same time, that the poor have adequate access to the water they need. This may call for the introduction of pricing schemes where the price per unit of water consumed increases with usage, SO as to allow vital uses (e.g. drinking water) to be met at minimum cost to the user, while discouraging at the same time wastage and heavy use. INFRASTRUCTURE TO 2030: TELECOM, LAND TRANSPORT, WATER AND ELECTRICITY - ISBN 92-64-02398-4 © OECD 2006 1. A CROSS-SECTORAL PERSPECTIVE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF GLOBAL INFRASTRUCTURES TO 2030 In contrast to the previous sectors, pricing plays only a limited role in land transport. In this regard, Stamford notes that unfortunately (for land transport authorities), the concept that there should be a "price" for public capital access and that such revenue should remain within the land transport sector appears to be rejected (or overridden) by other public finance "principles" and spending priorities. However, in this sector also, the gradual introduction of pricing appears both desirable and inevitable, although the main intent may not be the financing of capacity extension but rather attempts to moderate demand growth. Meeting the environmental challenge Environment policy is expected by all authors to be an important factor influencing the development of infrastructure in the coming decades, but its impact is hard to ascertain since it will very much depend on how strong political will to make the necessary reforms is likely to be, what measures will be implemented in practice, and what their impact and effectiveness will be. As noted earlier, governments are lik