Housing crisis fix should involve wood – the ‘ultimate renewable'

The Age

05-06-2025

Two key issues seem to be dominating the headlines; not only is Australia in the midst of a severe housing shortfall, but the crisis is also taking place against a backdrop of climate-change catastrophe.
So, when we're building these desperately needed new homes, renovating existing ones or even furnishing our current ones, we want to do so in an environmentally responsible and sustainable way so that we can all play our part in meeting the global goal of net zero by 2050.
United Nations-backed climate science data shows that to avert the worst impacts of climate change we must ensure the global temperature does not increase by more than 1.5 degrees. The UN admits that 'transitioning to a net-zero world is one of the greatest challenges humankind has faced'.
Achieving this target means slashing the current rate of carbon emissions, while finding new ways to absorb and store remaining greenhouse gases. The maths is daunting: we need to reduce emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 to give ourselves any chance of meeting net zero by 2050.
'It calls for nothing less than a complete transformation of how we produce, consume and move about,' the UN states plainly on its website.
Australia's Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water has identified several steps for decarbonising, including embracing circular economy principles, finding ways to expand zero-emission technology options and scaling up nature-based carbon sequestration.
Turns out, trees have been doing this since the beginning of time. Forest and Wood Products Australia (FWPA) head of marketing Sarah Downey notes — with a nod to the group's campaign The Ultimate Renewable — that when done sustainably, forestry is circular.
'Responsibly sourced, certified timber comes from well-managed forests,' she says. 'This means trees are regrown, biodiversity is protected and carbon stays locked away.'