New research suggests that a new type of green building could become a carbon sink, effectively reversing climate change.
The building sector is one of the biggest contributors to climate change - contributing nearly 39% of global energy use and energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. Embodied carbon is responsible for 11% of total greenhouse gas emissions. But using materials that store carbon, like straw, wood, linoleum, and cedar, can actually soak up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in the building's walls. It may seem counterintuitive, but just through careful selection of materials, the building sector could transform from a major carbon emitter to a carbon sink.
Building with carbon-intensive materials increases the upfront embodied carbon footprint. Magwood says that the ability to store carbon makes up for the less "energy efficient" structure. In his paper, he even calls for stricter regulations and policies enforcing caps on up-front embodied carbon.