About 55% of the world’s industrial tree harvest is
used to make paper. The pulp and paper industry is the
world’s fifth largest energy user and uses more water to
produce a metric ton of its product than any other industry.
In both Canada and the United States, it is the
third-largest industrial energy user and polluter, and
paper is the dominant material in the MSW of both
countries. The Internet was supposed to reduce paper
use by giving users access to vast amounts of electronic
information. However, because most users print out
their search results there has been no drop in per capita
paper consumption in the United States (and in most
other countries).