Tuesday 20 March 2018

Superwood @ Radio 4's Costing the Earth

This week's Costing the Earth starts off in Finland, at a huge trade fair looking at the applications for wood - and an economy based on growable resources:

Superwood

Costing the Earth

Tuesday 20th March 2018

Anything made from oil can now be made from trees, so is a new age of wood about to dawn? Tom Heap visits Finland which is pushing for a new industrial revolution based on trees and plants rather than oil and coal. He takes a glimpse into a future where cars, clothes, computers screens, and everything else we buy could begin its life in the forest. And he finds out how the UK is leading the way towards wooden skyscrapers.


BBC Radio 4 - Costing the Earth, Superwood

It's all about nanocelluloce:





Tom Heap also interviewed former Prime Minister Esko Aho of Finland and former Prime Minister Göran Persson of Sweden about a 'transformative' economy - and how to disrupt the dominance of oil without destroying the environment with monoculture plantations. 

An example discussed was the alternative to plastic packaging materials - and that price differences are 'marginal':

Meanwhile,  the UK is doing research into building with wood - with cross-laminated timber panels - creating 'plyscrapers':

It's not just about the 'energy use' once the building is up - but how much carbon is needed to put it up in the first place:

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