Is Timber More Sustainable Than Steel?

Written By Teacher: Emily Rogers

Emily has a bachelor’s degree in English and French and a master’s degree in library and information science. She spent seven years teaching information evaluation and research skills as a school librarian in K-8 public schools. As a lifelong resident of Southern Louisiana, Emily has a particular interest in how climate change affects coastal regions. She hopes to connect educators with resources that will help them to teach their students about the disproportionately adverse effects of climate change on historically marginalized communities.

Students may not realize that the buildings around them—schools, homes, and skyscrapers—are a major source of carbon emissions. Lessons like this one can help students understand how building materials like steel and concrete contribute to climate change. Other building materials, like wood, produce lower emissions, but logging requires careful land management to prevent deforestation. Challenge students to think critically about how innovation and responsible resource management can shape a more sustainable future. By exploring both the benefits and challenges of alternative materials, we can encourage students to consider the complexities of reducing emissions while fostering curiosity about solutions in architecture and engineering. 

Written By: MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative

The MIT Climate Change Engagement Program, a part of MIT Climate HQ, provides the public with nonpartisan, easy-to-understand, and scientifically-grounded information on climate change and its solutions.

Construction materials account for 9 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions from energy use—more than the energy emissions of the whole European Union. And demand for these materials is only growing, which means these climate-warming emissions will also grow if we don’t find new ways of manufacturing them or constructing our buildings.

Today, most emissions from construction come from just two products: steel and concrete. Housing and commercial construction account for more than half of global steel demand and, in the U.S., over 40 percent of concrete use. Both of those materials cause significant greenhouse gas emissions, because their production typically involves burning fossil fuels to create high industrial heats. Manufacturing concrete also involves a chemical reaction that releases the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2).

So one way to lower emissions from the building sector is to replace steel and concrete with other, less emitting materials strong enough to support high-rises—like cross-laminated timber.