Team:Manchester/managementtest

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When doing the initial research for our synthetic alternative to palm oil components, we quickly came across lots of information regarding the current palm oil industry. It soon became apparent that the economies of some countries, for example Indonesia and Malaysia, depend almost entirely upon the current methods of palm oil production. Therefore we compiled an impact analysis report for synthetic palm oil, which can be found by clicking on the button to the right.

MANAGE 1

There’s no doubt about it, the economies of Malaysia and Indonesia, amongst other countries, rely heavily on the cultivation of palm oil.

But could there be a viable alternative, another industry which could support the economy as effectively?

Industries such as livestock [1], agriculture [2], services [3], tourism [4] and so on are already well-established and support the countries’ economies alongside the palm oil industry
Focussed development on any of the industries is foreseen to maintain the economies but in the meantime, environmental problems arise. Livestock industry, first of all, results in land-clearance in order to plant feed crops for the livestock. 8% of global water is used in the industry for different purposes [5] and the waste water or manure created, often composed of nutrients and harmful components, would be discarded into rivers and seas which affect the natural water source. Water and soil are polluted by chemical pesticides and fertilisers used in agriculture industry [6]. In Malaysia, tourism is considered as profitable as palm oil industry but disturbs the ecosystem [7] through the construction of tourism facilities and an increase in carbon footprints [8]. Perhaps most interesting, the biotech industry is strongly supported by the Malaysian government [10], suggesting that our project may well have a future on Malaysian and Indonesian soil (see PATENTING(link))
The palm oil industry is well-known for having a short payback period and is highly productive. If replaced by another sector, the new industries run the risk of being far less economical and efficient. Moreover, the palm oil industry is able to provide a better living for the workers by allowing the government to be able to provide basic facilities for the workers and the families in some properly planned plantations and mills.

Without the steady business for the countries that the palm oil industry provides, and without a real viable alternative to the wealth of income generated through this sector, it is probable that the unemployment figures will rise [11] and the living standard of the people who work in the palm oil industry might drop even lower. Therefore it is imperative to consider the implications of removing the palm oil industry completely from countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia before introducing a synthetic alternative to this naturally-occurring product.

References

[1] http://www.fao.org/docrep/007/y5019e/y5019e0l.htm
[2] http://www.miti.gov.my/storage/documents/917/com.tms.cms.document.Document_15ae1e5f-c0a81573-314955ec-59c9ebaf/1/MITI%20Weekly%20Bulletin%20Volume%20228%20-%2026%20February%202013.pdf
[3] http://www.tradingeconomics.com/malaysia/gdp-growth-annual
[4] https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/storageapi/sites/all/files/pdf/ibrahim.pdf
[5] http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/lifesci/wcc/research/resources/wateruse/technology/livestock.pdf
[6] http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/briefings/hoofprints.pdf
[7] http://www.geography.learnontheinternet.co.uk/topics/tourism6.html
[8] http://www.tourism-climate.de/emissions.htm
[10] http://www.biotechcorp.com.my/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/publications/White_Paper_Agricultural.pdf
[11] http://www.cmzoo.org/conservation/palmOilCrisis/

GO TO IMPACT MANAGEMENT TASK 2

HUMAN PRACTICES

PUBLIC OUTREACH

SCIENCE STARS

OPEN DAY

ETHICS

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

ECONOMICAL IMPACT

IMPACT MANAGEMENT

CONCLUSION

BUSINESS PLAN

KNOWLEDGE DEFICIT ASSUMPTION

CONFERENCES AND DISCUSSIONS

SOCIAL MEDIA

TASK 1

TASK 2

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              <div class="text1">
              <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2013/b/b3/Man3.jpg" width="450" height="550" />
-             <p>Palm oil is used in hundreds of products. It is likely that you have either consumed or used a product today containing palm oil or its constituents, but we, as consumers, rarely think about it or where it comes from. The truth behind its current method of production is devastating.
+             <p>There’s no doubt about it, the economies of Malaysia and Indonesia, amongst other countries, rely heavily on the cultivation of palm oil.</p>
+<p>But could there be a viable alternative, another industry which could support the economy as effectively?</p>
 <br>
-Currently:
+<ul><li>Industries such as livestock [1], agriculture [2], services [3], tourism [4] and so on are already well-established and support the countries’ economies alongside the palm oil industry</li>
-<ul><li>300 football fields an hour are being chopped down every hour in Indonesia and Malaysia to make room for oil palm plantations[1]</li><br>
+<li>Focussed development on any of the industries is foreseen to maintain the economies but in the meantime, environmental problems arise. Livestock industry, first of all, results in land-clearance in order to plant feed crops for the livestock. 8% of global water is used in the industry for different purposes [5] and the waste water or manure created, often composed of nutrients and harmful components, would be discarded into rivers and seas which affect the natural water source. Water and soil are polluted by chemical pesticides and fertilisers used in agriculture industry [6]. In Malaysia, tourism is considered as profitable as palm oil industry but disturbs the ecosystem [7] through the construction of tourism facilities and an increase in carbon footprints [8]. Perhaps most interesting, the biotech industry is strongly supported by the Malaysian government [10], suggesting that our project may well have a future on Malaysian and Indonesian soil (see PATENTING(link))</li>
-<li>This mass deforestation is resulting in a massive decline in many critically endangered organisms, such as the sumatran orangutan (link to model here?)[2]</li><br>
+<li>The palm oil industry is well-known for having a short payback period and is highly productive. If replaced by another sector, the new industries run the risk of being far less economical and efficient. Moreover, the palm oil industry is able to provide a better living for the workers by allowing the government to be able to provide basic facilities for the workers and the families in some properly planned plantations and mills. </li></ul>
-<li>Rare flora, much of which is yet to have been researched and is found only within these rainforests, is being destroyed and lost forever[3]</li><br>
-<li><i>People</i> live in the rainforests that are being bulldozed, their homes completely eradicated because of the palm oil industry[4]</li><br>
-<li>Rainforests act as a colossal carbon sink and are often growing atop peatlands - uprooting or burning these trees releases a huge amount of CO2 into the atmosphere (resulting in deforestation related to the palm oil industry accounting for more global warming than every vehicle on earth combined)[5]</li></ul><br>
 <br>
-So yes, the problems arising as a direct result of the palm oil industry <i>are</i> a big deal.<br>
+Without the steady business for the countries that the palm oil industry provides, and without a real viable alternative to the wealth of income generated through this sector, it is probable that the unemployment figures will rise [11] and the living standard of the people who work in the palm oil industry might drop even lower. Therefore it is imperative to consider the implications of removing the palm oil industry completely from countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia before introducing a synthetic alternative to this naturally-occurring product.
-[1] http://www.rainforest-rescue.org/topics/palm-oil<br>
+<p><b>References</b></p>
-[2] http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/mar/28/sumatran-orangutans-dying-indonesia-forest-fire<br>
+[1] http://www.fao.org/docrep/007/y5019e/y5019e0l.htm<br>
-[3] http://www.indonesianrainforest.org/indonesian-rainforest/rainforest-medicinal-plants/<br>
+[2] http://www.miti.gov.my/storage/documents/917/com.tms.cms.document.Document_15ae1e5f-c0a81573-314955ec-59c9ebaf/1/MITI%20Weekly%20Bulletin%20Volume%20228%20-%2026%20February%202013.pdf<br>
-[4] http://www.rainforest-rescue.org/news/3891/indonesia-victims-of-the-palm-oil-industry<br>
+[3] http://www.tradingeconomics.com/malaysia/gdp-growth-annual <br>
-[5] http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/solutions/forest_solutions/palm-oil-and-forests.html</p>
+[4] https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/storageapi/sites/all/files/pdf/ibrahim.pdf <br>
+[5] http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/lifesci/wcc/research/resources/wateruse/technology/livestock.pdf <br>
+[6] http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/briefings/hoofprints.pdf <br>
+[7] http://www.geography.learnontheinternet.co.uk/topics/tourism6.html <br>
+[8] http://www.tourism-climate.de/emissions.htm <br>
+[10] http://www.biotechcorp.com.my/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/publications/White_Paper_Agricultural.pdf <br>
+[11] http://www.cmzoo.org/conservation/palmOilCrisis/
              </div>