Ditching concrete for earth to build a cleaner future

More than two billion people across some 150 countries live in buildings made of earth, according to a 2006 guide on earth building by French authors Hugo Houben and Hubert Guillaud. Photo: AFP

Climate change has spurred renewed interest in the ancient technique which sees polluting concrete swapped where possible for earth.

For centuries, mud and clay were an abundantly available way to put a roof over one's head, but earth's environmental credentials are behind its modern-day resurgence.