Quote:
Originally Posted by badbob001
If they raise prices now gradually for the next 20 years, then when paper becomes very expensive due to deforestation, then no one will notice.  |
That is key imo. Even though it has become a highly politicized discussion, environmental issues and peak oil come into play. How much longer will it be acceptable/economically feasible to cut down down trees, put them on fossil fuel burning trucks, turn it into paper (using a number of petro-checmical substances in the process), transport and store that paper, transport that paper again to the printers, print the book, transport the book to storage, transport the book from storage to the shop or a consumer.
Fuel costs will go up regardless of how global warming shapes up. So print books in 20 years will cost a LOT more based on oil alone. If global warming predictions by the IPCC/Nasa/Meteorology bureaus/CSIRO/Harvard etc do turn out to be accurate, in 20 years we will be a lot hotter, fuels which emit carbon will be taxed a lot so costs for paper books will probably be around the $70 mark and something collectors read on (kinda like vinyl!)