Schellnhuber highlights wood construction as a key climate solution at Bio-Based Building Conference

The article, titled Konferenz zum Bio-Bauen: Kiefer ist als Baustoff hervorragend (Conference on Bio-Based Building: Pine is an excellent construction material), reports from the conference Biobasiertes Bauen in der Region Berlin-Brandenburg (Bio-based building in the Berlin-Brandenburg region), held at the Brandenburg Museum in Potsdam. The event focused on how the building sector – one of the largest sources of global emissions – can contribute to climate protection through regional forestry, timber use, and circular-economy approaches.

In the interview, Schellnhuber explains that the construction, operation, and demolition of buildings account for around 40% of global CO₂ emissions, largely due to the use of steel and concrete. He argues that these materials could be widely replaced by wood in building construction. As trees grow, they absorb CO₂ from the atmosphere; when their wood is used in long-lasting buildings, this carbon remains stored while new trees can grow in the forest. Schellnhuber refers to this cyclical approach as the “Wald-Bau-Pumpe” (forest–construction pump).

Addressing potential limits of timber construction, Schellnhuber emphasizes that these are largely human-made. Building regulations, economic interests, and persistent prejudices continue to restrict the use of wood, thereby slowing climate mitigation and repair. He argues that overcoming these barriers is essential if wood is to realize its full potential as a climate-friendly building material and as the foundation of a new building culture.

Read the full article (in German).