Are really ebooks more environmentally friendly than paper books?

[Faatimah Noormahomed]

Such an interesting thread to read! I personally think that they both can be harmful to the environment, but i think that ebooks are less harmful than physical books are.

[Sabahat Kamran]

When it comes to the environment, there are pros and cons to both ebooks and physical books. I think people need to make the decision for themselves and others need to get off their high horses and stop judging others. I do agree that buying second-hand is a great way to get physical copies and do your bit for the environment. Here in the UK, I use a website called world of books, and they often have great quality second-hand books for great prices.

[TusharJoshi]

I don't think that there is a substantial difference between the two. Paperbacks are better to read, there is no doubt about that. Your choice shouldn't be affected by this though!

[Hughes Davidson]

I believe ebooks are more ecologically friendly. You do not have to cut down so many tress to get 1000000 copies of that book out there.

[Melissa Best]

If you read a large volume of books on a device that you already own, an argument could be made that you're saving the environment. Buying a device just to read books though is another story, and probably a negative one at that!

[Nele Ma]

Yes, ebooks are generally more environmentally friendly than paper books due to reduced paper production and transportation emissions.

[Carolina Katerina]

I prefer paper books, especially if I want to put bookmarks. In other cases, the ebooks are OK for me, but sometimes it is more difficult to see the screen outside.

[Sameeha Ismail]

I don't know about environmental friendly E-books, but paperbacks are eye friendly. Most of the books I read are softcopies and I can say with experience that despite the ease of use, e-books are hard to read, long term.

[Ika Apro]

The waste that producing e-readers puts out is greater than that of chopping trees I think. I think the trees can be replanted.