National and international targets aimed at addressing the climate emergency have differing levels of urgency: 2030, 2045 and 2050, depending on which organisation or government policy you choose to respond to. The global building industry has a huge role to play in meeting these targets. But it is not all about delivering these in new construction alone: preservation, restoration, renewal and adaptive re-use all form a significant proportion of ongoing works to the existing built environment. Nor is it simply about achieving better thermal standards and reducing fossil fuel use. The role of renewable materials – and timber is the primary one in construction – needs not only to be evaluated by the conservation sector, but put into practice where appropriate using the advanced timber technologies now available.