Global Warming
It is now widely accepted that climate change and global warming are happening, that the causes are largely man-made, and that the effects are potentially disastrous such as,

• Changes in rain patterns causing some areas becoming wetter and others drier. With global
  water resources already under severe strain from rapid population growth and expanding
  economic activity, the danger is clear.

• Agricultural zones may shift towards the poles and it is possible that today's leading
  grain-producing areas such as the Great Plains of the United States would experience more
  frequent droughts and heat waves.

• Melting glaciers and the thermal expansion of sea water may raise sea levels, threatening
  low-lying coastal areas and small islands. The global mean sea level has already risen by   around 15 cm during the past century, and global warming is expected to cause a further
  rise of about 18 cm by the year 2030.

Greenhouse Gas and Carbon Dioxide

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is the most important man-made greenhouse gas (GHG), although not the most potent, accounting for over 75% of total GHG emissions. The remaining 25% consists of methane (14.3%), nitrous oxide (7.9%) and fluorinated gases (1.1%).

In 1780 the level of CO₂ in the atmosphere stood at 280 parts per million (ppm). Production of CO₂ has increased significantly since the industrial revolution and continues to increase, as it is closely related to the growth in energy consumption and changes in the use of land resulting from an increasingly mechanized, affluent and growing population. In 2006 it stood at 382pmm – an increase of 36%. Between 1970 and 2004 annual emissions grew by about 80%.
--- Source: IPCC AR4 Synthesis Report, Summary for Policymakers, 2007

The Stern Report (2006) suggests 1% of global GDP will need to be spent annually to stabilize levels at 550ppm CO₂ (this includes all the other greenhouse gases within the CO₂ figure; the CO₂ only figure is 450ppm), a politically acceptable target.

This level requires global emissions to peak by 2016, declining by 1-3% annually thereafter, to reach 25% below current levels by 2050. Given the expected rise in global GDP (Gross Domestic Product) by 2050, this implies emissions per unit of GDP to be just one quarter of 2006 levels.

So the need to reduce CO₂ emissions is urgent, and every available solution needs to be adopted, particularly when the solution is as pain-free as substituting wood for other building materials and for fossil fuels.

Trees Reducing CO₂ Emissions

Trees play an important role in sequestering and storing carbon thus reducing the carbon in the atmosphere. Through photosynthesis, growing plants take carbon from the atmosphere and the earth. The carbon is stored in the plant so the plant acts as a storage sink for carbon. The total amount of carbon stored in plants and the soil is known as the carbon pool. Also in the process of photosynthesis, trees release oxygen and hence forests are often referred to as the lungs of the world.

Substituting a cubic metre of wood for other construction materials (concrete, blocks or bricks) results in the significant average of 0.75 to 1 tonne of CO₂ savings.
--- Source: IIED and ECCM, Using wood Products to Mitigate Climate Change, 2004

The Growing Wood Demand in China and Deforestation

Due to the strong domestic demand caused by economic growth and globalization, the wood processing industry achieved rapid development in China. Since 2005, exports of Chinese wood products witnessed double digits growth. Volume exports of wooden logs, sawn wood, veneer board, fiber board and furniture all grew rapidly in 2007, up by 16.94%, 35.68%, 30.45%, 355% and 18.27% respectively.

China exports of wood buildings amounted to about 221,651 ton in the first four months of 2008 with a value of about US$445.18 million. This was an increase of 53% and 48% respectively compared with 2007.

However, China has little forestry (wood) resources per capita. When the State started the Natural Forest Preserving Project in 1998, forest harvesting has been significantly reduced in China. This resulted in a great imbalance of timber supply and demand. China import more than 7.3 million cubic meters of tropical logs per year and still more wood from non-tropical countries.

The demand for tropical hardwoods is accelerating the deforestation of tropical hardwood globally. On the other hand, Tropical hardwoods only achieve those superior performance features after 60 – 100 years. This is why there are no “sustainable” sources of high-performance Tropical Hardwood trees.