The production of concrete is responsible for a significant amount of global CO2 emissions. A recent study has explored whether the construction industry can replace concrete with wood. Currently, the majority of CO2 emissions from concrete production come from the chemical conversion of limestone, which must be deacidified to produce cement clinker. Cement clinker is necessary to give concrete its high strength when water is added. Various projects, including the Bill Gates-funded start-up Brimstone Energy, are working on climate-neutral cement production. However, the industry has not yet significantly reduced CO2 emissions in cement or concrete production. In recent years, wood has experienced a renaissance as a building material for structures, including a 350-meter-tall wooden skyscraper planned for Japan. Wood is not only CO2-neutral as a building material, but it also removes CO2 from the atmosphere during its growth as a tree.
A study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) has investigated whether wood is a viable alternative to concrete in the construction industry. The study analyzed whether there is enough wood available for building houses, the potential reduction in CO2 emissions, and the necessary land use changes and potential conflicts. According to the study published in the journal Nature Communications, if 90% of new urban populations lived in houses primarily made of wood instead of concrete, the area required for wood production would increase from 137 million hectares to 425 million hectares. Despite the significantly higher land requirement for wood plantations, the study found that it would not consume agricultural land. However, conflicts could arise in some regions, such as Sub-Saharan Africa, where urban development is dynamic. These conflicts would not be between wood plantations and other agriculture but between wood plantations and natural forests.
It is projected that new houses will need to be built for approximately 80% of the world’s population in cities by the end of the century. If these buildings were constructed primarily of concrete, it would consume about half of the remaining CO2 budget needed to limit global warming to under two degrees Celsius. Therefore, it is essential to find alternative materials to limit the impact of the construction industry on climate change.
