The question then is, "But are they really?" It's easy to say that ebooks use less paper than print books, but what about the materials wasted every time someone throws away their old e-reader to buy one that's newer and more exciting?
National Geographic recently ran an article on this topic, and they claimed:
"The amount of paper used for books in one year was estimated at 1.5 million metric tons, and each book produced gave off an estimated 8.85 pounds of carbon dioxide. Study groups have found that the carbon released from eBooks is offset after people read more than 14 eBooks. For the life cycle of a device for reading books, the carbon emitted is offset after the first year. The savings in carbon emitted into the air is around 168 kilograms for the following years after the first year of use."
