Built environment in the climate action plan for Gelderland

Emissions and sources

The built environment causes 1% of Gelderland’s non-energy greenhouse gas emissions. Methane is the largest source and arises mainly from household energy use: natural gas that does not fully combust and leaks, for example from a gas hob that does not ignite immediately. Ambiance fireplaces are also a notable methane source. Nitrogen emissions arise mainly in buildings, with water treatment plants and drinking water companies playing a significant role.

The Gelderland Climate Plan sets a large housebuilding task: making roughly 500,000 existing homes more sustainable and realising 20% of new construction through circular design-build. Most Drawdown solutions for this sector fall outside the scope of this analysis, since the greenhouse gases involved are energy-related or fall outside the Pareto analysis. One innovation is relevant for carbon sequestration: timber construction.

Potential reduction and sequestration within the built environment based on Drawdown solutions (2030). The built environment is the only sector in this climate action plan where sequestration exceeds reduction.

Timber construction as a climate solution

Project Drawdown names building with wood as innovation #20. From pillars to roof trusses, wood is one of the oldest building materials, though its use has declined. Several cities are now building high-rises built almost entirely from wood. With timber construction, carbon dioxide is not only reduced but also sequestered.

Building with wood has two climate benefits. First, trees sequester carbon dioxide as they grow: a piece of wood is roughly 50% carbon. That carbon stays stored as long as the wood is used in high-value applications, while planting new trees replaces the sustainably harvested wood. Second, producing wood materials releases less emissions than other building materials. That second benefit is energy-related and therefore falls outside this analysis; the building materials industry in Gelderland is responsible for roughly 0.3 Mt CO₂-eq.

Timber construction in Gelderland

By 2030, 80,000 homes will be built in the province of Gelderland. Of that total, 20% (16,000 homes) must be built circularly. Wood can play a significant role here, reducing CO₂-eq compared with conventional building materials and sequestering carbon dioxide in buildings.

Project Drawdown has no fixed adoption scenarios for timber construction. Based on the Gelderland Climate Plan 2021–2030, three scenarios were calculated, by share of timber construction in new housing:

Average reduction and sequestration per scenario (2030), as stated in the sector PDF. The source lists 0.018 Mt sequestration for scenario 2; given the linear progression (0.072 at 20% and 0.36 at 100%), this is likely a typographical error, where 0.18 Mt would be consistent. Sequestration figures are indicative in any case and are modelled under agriculture and land use in the underlying calculation. Action perspective: realising 20% of new construction through timber building.

Opportunities and barriers

A strategic exploration of biobased construction by, among others, the Dutch ministries responsible for housing and for agriculture concludes that building with biobased materials has benefits for sustainable urbanisation, the housing shortage, architecture, health, climate, the Dutch landscape, forests and agriculture. A 2014 Yale University study calculates that greater use of wood in construction could reduce global carbon dioxide emissions by 14 to 31%.

Beyond carbon storage, timber construction has further benefits. Wooden structures regulate moisture and heat, contributing to a healthier indoor climate and lower energy demand. Fewer transport movements are needed, which benefits nitrogen emissions. Wood is reusable as a raw material for other buildings and products, or can be converted into compost.

At the same time, barriers exist. MKI and MPG environmental calculations disadvantage timber construction relative to fossil-based building materials, because wood’s carbon storage is counted as short-term, while CLT in timber construction actually holds carbon long-term. Other thresholds include the still-unfamiliar nature of the material, competition with circular concrete, missing supply-chain partners such as large sawmills, and regulation around certification and guarantees.

Method and sources

The sector analysis combines the Drawdown methodology with a Pareto analysis of Gelderland’s non-energy emissions. For the built environment, most solutions fall outside scope because the emissions are energy-related; timber construction is the only relevant innovation for sequestration. Figures come from the Drawdown Europe Research Association (DERA), the Gelderland Climate Plan 2021–2030 and the Gelderland Housing Action Plan. This sector analysis was carried out in collaboration with Climate Cleanup and the Drawdown Europe Research Association (DERA).

The carbon sequestration from timber construction physically occurs on land and is modelled under agriculture and land use in the underlying calculation. For the built environment, the sequestration figures are therefore indicative. Non-energy emissions from the construction process are recorded under industry in the emissions registry.