The solution is closer than you think - wood

The new study indicates it would be possible to significantly reduce the emissions caused by building sector by focusing simply on the construction and the manufacture of building materials. Public actions however tell different. Are the proposed measures sufficient? What else could be done to curb carbon dioxide emissions?

Energy-efficiency should be considered in the manufacture of building products

Construction and the manufacture of building products account for 5% of our country’s annual energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. No reduction targets have, at least for now, been proposed in relation to this share. The measures proposed for improving energy-efficiency focus on reducing the amount of energy consumed during a building’s use and the carbon dioxide emissions this consumption causes.

Although 5% of total energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions does not sound like much, the amounts involved are nonetheless large. The energy consumed during construction and the manufacture of building products comes to a total of about 15.4 TWh and these activities cause some 4.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in Finland. This is almost as much as the carbon dioxide emissions caused by the entire forest industry, chemical paper and pulp manufacturing included (about 5 million tonnes). 

New energy-efficiency targets in building in 2010

The study indicates the future energy-efficiency targets for buildings that are to come into force in Finland at the beginning of 2010 have been scaled appropriately in relation to climate objectives.

On top of that one should pay attention to the emissions caused by construction and the manufacture of building materials. Cutting the emissions caused by construction and the manufacture of building materials by just a quarter would achieve greater emissions reductions by 2020 than the currently proposed improvement to the energy-efficiency of buildings. Furthermore, the effects of this would be rapid.

To cut emissions use wood whenever possible

The best way to reduce the environmental impacts caused by construction and the manufacture of building materials would be to increase the use of wood in construction whenever possible. This should be accompanied with efforts to reduce the environmental impacts caused by the manufacture of concrete, bricks and other masonry-type materials as well as of steel.

The potential of wood to reduce climate chance at construction is huge on the European scale. The study is based on the Finnish case where some 40% of new building construction is in wood. In Europe as a whole, the wood represents only about 4% of construction. Better use of wood would provide new green jobs and better green economy for rural areas in Europe.

The report is available in Finnish and in English.