From Ecopedia

About

Paper is a thin material that is widely used in the industrialized world for writing or printing on, to convey messaging of various types. Invented by the Egyptians over 6,000 years ago, the first form of paper was known as Papyrus, which was made of woven fibrous plants, pounded into a flat sheet. Modern paper is derived from the cellulose pulp that can be found in wood, rags, or grass, and is produced by firmly pressing together the moist cellulose fibers.

The last four decades have demonstrated a worldwide increase in paper consumption of over 400%. In fact, each person in the United States alone uses approximately 749 pounds of paper per year, equating to a total of 187 billion pounds of paper every year. Globally, the world consumes approximately 300 million tons of paper (approximately 600 billion pounds) every year.

China, India, and the rest of Asia are the fastest growing users of paper per-capita, though still ranking behind Europe and the Americas in total usage.

Environmental Perspective

With the enormous global consumption of paper ever year, nearly 4 billion trees are eliminated every day to produce paper, which represents approximately 35% of all harvested trees. Although many of these trees are grown on tree farms, every tree acts as a carbon sink, and also a natural habitat for wildlife. Additionally, approximately 42% of all industrial wood is used to make paper.

Effects on the environment

---

Pollution Of all the manufacturing industries in the United States, the paper industry is fourth-largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, and in particular, contributes 9% of the entire manufacturing sector’s carbon emissions. Some of the major papers manufacturing companies in the United States include Mead Westwaco Corporation, Procter & Gamble, Port Townsend Paper Corp., and many others. Interestingly, many large paper companies invest in paper manufacturing and packing plants that use recycled content, yet none of the new paper mills used recycled content.

Habitat Effects Needs more information

Alternatives Recycled paper

References

http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/7447 http://ecology.com/features/paperchase/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper