Building Houses with Wood Can Reduce 100 Billion Tons of Carbon Over 80 Years

Analysis by Germany's Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] A study has found that if 90% of the world's population lived in houses built with wood, carbon dioxide emissions could be reduced by about 100 billion tons by 2100.

On the 30th (local time), according to major foreign media including the UK Guardian, the German think tank Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research published a paper on the carbon reduction effects of replacing building materials with wood. According to the study, if 90% of the global urban population used wooden houses, carbon emissions would decrease by 1,060 tons by 2100.

The paper's author, Abhijit Mishra, stated, "Currently, half of the world's population lives in cities, and this number will increase significantly by 2100," adding, "Urban housing is constructed with concrete, which emits a considerable amount of carbon dioxide during production." He explained that wood absorbs carbon dioxide as trees grow, making it the building material with the lowest carbon emissions.

Abhijit pointed out that if humanity continues to use building materials such as concrete in the future, enormous costs will be required to reduce carbon emissions. He warned that 35-60% of the global carbon reduction budget set by the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement to limit global temperature rise to within 2 degrees Celsius would need to be spent. In contrast, he analyzed that only 10% of the budget would be needed if wood were used.

According to the study, to replace urban housing building materials with wood, up to 1.49 million hectares of timber plantations would need to be secured by 2100. The researchers stated that by utilizing natural forests or creating large commercial artificial forests, it would be possible to supply the necessary amount of wood without reducing farmland.

However, they explained that artificially creating forests for material supply could lead to a decrease in biodiversity.

In fact, environmentalists point out that artificial tree forests have less biodiversity than natural forests and are much more vulnerable to fires. Greenpeace’s forest campaign leader, Sini Eriye, said, "Natural forests are much better adapted to drought, fire, and disease," adding, "Trying to solve carbon emissions that could be reduced by cutting down on meat consumption and dairy through logging of artificial and natural forests is an inappropriate idea."

Avilashi Panda, Deputy Head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, also expressed concern, saying, "Using wood can reduce carbon and manage neglected natural forests," but added, "However, since wood is flammable, it can be a risk factor in situations like now where fire frequency is increasing due to the climate crisis."

The researchers responded to these concerns by stating, "By protecting high-yield timber farms under strict biodiversity and land protection systems, the pressure on natural forests for production can be alleviated."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.