14 DAY TRIAL // Recent reports indicate that, from an environmental standpoint, it's better to stick to your old paperback books, rather than switch to e-readers.
A common misconception among people living in the modern world is that one who wants to help protect national and international forests, and by extension the environment, can do this by using e-readers instead of old-fashioned books.
The rationale behind this is quite simple: e-readers require no paper, therefore no trees are cut and so the forests are safe.
However, after giving due consideration to this issue, scientists reached a mind-blowing conclusion: in the long run, those who use iPads cause more damage to the environment than those who go for the classic paperback books.
As ecogeek.org informs us, what most e-reader owners tend to overlook is the fact that, even if paper is no longer required to satisfy their reading needs, quite a lot of materials go into manufacturing the said e-readers.
Thus, even if the carbon footprint of your regular books industry is considerably diminished for the obvious reason that incredibly fewer books actually do get printed, this advantage is counter-balanced by the rapid growth of the digital books industry.
As well as this, as researchers explain, one book, simply by being produced, transported and retailed, is made responsible for producing about 8.5 pounds (about 3.85 kg) of carbon emissions, whereas iPads only produce a mere 0.005 pounds (about 0.0025 kg) of carbon emissions per hour of use.
Although, after one quick glance at these figures, most people will instantly swear to never buy a book again, a closer look will reveal the truth.
On one hand, after having produced the said 8.85 pounds of carbon emission, the book is pretty much done with polluting the environment; on the other hand, the iPad will slowly but surely continue to harm the natural world throughout its entire lifespan.
This study only goes to show that, unless properly informed on a very specific issue, people can end up