18/08/2008 (Bernama), Jakarta - Malaysia and Indonesia, being two major palm oil producers, are in a unique position to offer the world a new resource-based sustainable development model by 2025 with intensive R&D on palm oil and its derivatives, says an internationally renown expert on sustainable development.

The new eco-friendly sustainable development model will be totally different from the present fossil fuel-based development which started the Industrial Revolution and which has since proven to be ecologically damaging and a contributor to global warming, said Prof Dr Emil Salim of Indonesia.

He projected that with intensive joint R&D on oil palm and its derivatives, the neighbouring countries could eventually produce and meet many of mankind's urgent needs including biofuel and various medications, and more importantly create a new wave of thinking in sustainable development.

"We should be in the beginning of changing the current development model which is based on man-made energy, the fossil fuel, to renewable resource-based sustainable development," he told BERNAMA in an interview here recently.

He pointed out that fossil fuel is not an energy provided by nature like the sun, wind, waves, biomass and geo-thermal.

He said the Industrial Revolution based on man-made energy has upset the eco-system and contributed to the creation of carbon dioxide (CO2) emission which causes global warming.

The effects include climate changes and rise in the sea level.

"We must have a new pattern of development. A road map that is different than what has been developed since the industrial revolution till now."

He felt Asia should develop the new map.

"Why Asia? Because in the 21st century the locomotive of growth is Asia - China, India, Asean, East Asia - these blocks of countries will be the locomotive of global growth.

Prof Emil, who will be kicking off Sime Darby's "Developing Sustainable Futures Lecture Series" in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, Aug 20, said the world has no other choice but to put all hope on sustainable development - renewable resource-based development.

As to what new roadmap Asia must develop, he said, among all Asian countries, those at the Equator were the richest in terms of biological resources, megadiversity, tropical and marine resources, narrowing it further to Indonesia and Malaysia.

On how Indonesia and Malaysia can do the roadmap, he said:

"We are the major producers of palm oil, a renewable resource and so, it is different from fossil fuel. Palm oil has two elements, as food and as fuel. But, palm oil also has many derivatives that can be used for biomedicine, biochemical for cosmetic and other products," he said.

Both Malaysia and Indonesia should be in the forefront in capacity building of engineers and researchers and probably the required institutions to be trusted with the task, he said.

The 2000-2002 chairman of the United Nations Commission for Sustainable Development, however, admitted that it was a long road ahead as both countries must firstly work together in identifying and researching the potential of the derivatives and secondly build the technology capacity.

"I'm looking at 2025 as the target for both countries to set the example of this new model, this roadmap. The world is also moving away from anything chemical to everything organic.

"So we must accommodate what the world needs; what are these medicines from palm oil; what type of S&T needs to be developed; what type of new skills that we should develop" he said adding that by 2025 Malaysia and Indonesia could have shown to the world a different way of development which will be evironment friendly.

He said it was also important for man to look at development in harmony with nature.

He also spoke of the huge tropical rain forests Malaysia and Indonesia had and the potential they offered in terms of non-chemical based food and medicine.

Sime Darby is Malaysia's diversified multinational with interests in plantations, property, energy and utilities, industrial equipment, motors and healthcare, and is also the country's largest listed company with a workforce of about 100,000 in over 20 countries apart from being the world's largest listed plantations company.