The number of people living in urban areas worldwide will increase by 2 billion over the next three decades. Many of these people will need new homes. But building those with conventional materials would release a flood of carbon dioxide: Concrete, steel, glass and building bricks together account for 9 % of global CO emissions ₂ , according to research by the United Nations Environment Programme. Enter faux wood, a seemingly seamless solution. Bulk  wood is not the typical wood that has built single-family homes in North America for decades. The wooden components are strong enough to support an office tower or apartment building, and it is believed that the building with them emits much less CO ₂ as when using standard materials. And since wood contains approximately 50 % carbon , the material itself even contains some carbon. This is why more and more companies are using it mass wood as a way to reduce your carbon footprint and promote its green bona fide, including Walmart Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Google Alphabet Inc. In November, YouTube opened two new buildings at its headquarters in San Bruno, California, that feature wood structures that the company says cut emissions from concrete and steel in half. (Eric Roston, Bloomberg News)