The summer reading season is here. Some people will opt for paperbacks because they' re easy to borrow and share. Others will go for e- readers. But which is the more environmentally sustainable option?
According to 2023 data from the literary industry research group Words Rated, when it comes to pulp(纸浆) and paper, print book publishing is the world's third- largest industrial greenhouse gas producer, and32 million trees are cut down each year in the United States to make paper for books.
So many publishers are switching to on- demand printing. For example, Chronicle Books, are reducing their initial print runs to see how well the titles sell before they print more. " We felt that it was better to have a higher cost and have less waste, " said Chronic le Books president, Tyrrell Mahoney.
Publishers are also rethinking book design. It might be a surprise, but certain fonts(字体) can be more climate- friendly by using less ink and less paper.
Digital reading seems to have a considerable eco- advantage over print because it is paperless, so it saves trees, pulping and shipping. Moreover, tech companies that make e- readers such as Amazon, which sells the market- leading Kindle e- reader, offer recycling programs for old devices.
" By choosing e- books as an alternative to print, Kindle readers helped save an estimated 2.3 million metric tons of carbon emissions over a two- year period, " said Corey Badcock, head of Kindle product and marketing.
But digital devices also come with a substantial carbon footprint, mainly at the producing stage. Their cases are made with fossil- fuel- derived plastics and the minerals in their batteries require resource- heavy mining.
Berners- Lee, the author of The Carbon Footprint of Everything , said the average e- reader has a carbon footprint of around 80 pounds. " This means that I've got to read about 36 small paperback books- worth on it before you break even, " he said.
" If you buy an e- reader and you read loads and loads of books on it, then it's the lowest carbon thing to do, " Berners- Lee said. " But if I buy it, read a couple of books, and decide that I prefer paperback books, then it's the worst of all worlds. "
抱歉,您未登录!暂时无法查看答案与解析!
登录查看答案解析试题篮
0