Reacción a "Change in building materials could store billions of tonnes of carbon"

The construction industry is a conservative industry and therefore requires certainty before it will invest in new materials. Certification of products usually provides this certainty. However, the industry tends to make choices for material options mainly using criteria of cost, time, and quality, with safety as paramount, and environmental considerations important. So, even if carbon sequestration using new materials is desired, there are obstacles which would prevent use. For instance, would the material cost more to procure? Does it require new training for staff? If so, it is unlikely to be preferred over traditional materials. Would it take more time to install or have a longer supply chain? Again, it would be hard to see a preference over traditional materials. Would quality be compromised? If there is a negative change in quality, then this impacts decision making.

"Other than satisfying choice criteria, there are ways to achieve change, some of which (and these are not all) include educate clients to ask for new certified materials, legislate for their use, or use tax or trade agreements to reduce costs.