Apparently human beings are still Tree Enemy Number One, sneaking past beavers and termites. In fact, if you are reading this in America, you have personally killed 5.57 12m trees last year thanks to all of your paper usage. But don’t feel too bad: Belgians consumed a whopping 8.5 trees per person.
According to The Economist, worldwide paper consumption has increased by half in the last 30 years, a puzzling development for an era when “paperless” and “green” are as buzzy as words can get. You’d think that with the rise of computers, iPads and smartphones that paper consumption would shrink, but apparently humans are still ripping down spruces and pines at an alarming rate. So save a tree — buy a Kindle. [The Economist]