Petition to ban the use of tree pulp in the manufacturing of paper and paper products.
President Joe Biden, Michael S. Regan Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
Ballot Summary:
In order for the United States to abide by the Paris Agreement, we must work diligently to decarbonize every sector of our economy. The paper market uses trees which while they are a renewable source is not as renewable and efficient as other alternatives. For example, grass, hemp, and bamboo pulp are all great sources for paper production and has the added benefit of not having to destroy our forests for tree pulp extraction. The goal of this petition is to ban the use of tree pulp in the manufacturing of paper and paper products.
Full Ballot:
According to the US Forest Service, America's forests sequester 866 million tons of carbon a year, which is roughly 16% of the US annual emissions (depending on the year). While trees mainly pull carbon out of the atmosphere, they also release carbon dioxide. This occurs when a tree dies and decomposes thereby releasing all the gases it had previously consumed. So, when roughly 15.3 billion trees are cut down each year (worldwide) all of that stored carbon is released back into the atmosphere. Which explains the emissions from the paper industry, in the year 2020 the pulp and paper manufacturing sector in the United States emitted 24.5 million metric tons of CO2e according to the EPA. Since Trees serve such an important role in carbon sequestration, we should ban the paper industry from chopping down trees for their products. This will save about 36% of forests from being destroyed since 36% of deforestation is caused solely by paper production. Passing this law would help the United States in three ways. The first is less CO2 emissions from less deforestation. Second, the more trees there are the more carbon a forest can sequester. Third, more trees or larger forests also mean more or larger habitats for animals.
In order for the planet to stay below two degrees of warming, we have to do two main things. Stop emitting carbon, and sequester the carbon already emitted. Since trees consume carbon more efficiently the older and bigger, they are, it doesn’t make sense to continue to allow companies to chop full-grown trees and replace them with saplings. We need the most efficient system for carbon sequestration as possible. With that in mind we need to preserve our existing forests as best we can. Currently, the United States only has 23.2% of forest cover. If we don’t ban the practice of deforestation for tree pulp paper production that number will get too small to be able to sequester much of anything. For those thinking that there is no other way to produce paper let's talk about the alternatives.
The alternative to tree pulp for paper production would be; recycled paper, hemp pulp, grass pulp, and bamboo pulp. The difference between these chosen pulps and tree pulp is that hemp bamboo and grass grow at a much faster rate when compared to trees. Bamboo and typical grass as members of the grass family their tops can be removed and processed, and as long as the root system hasn’t been damaged the tops will continue to grow. Meaning if you mow your lawn every other week those clippings can be used to produce paper. Hemp is a flowering plant, not a grass, but because the flowers aren’t what we're trying to extract the entire plant system can be harvested. Hemp only takes 100 days to grow from seed to adulthood whereas a tree like oak for example takes about 30 years to grow. While both are resources that can be renewed within one human lifespan. Grass, bamboo, and hemp are more renewable than trees because they grow at a much faster rate.
When it comes to the quality of these alternatives compared to wood pulp products. Bamboo tissue is softer than its wood counterpart. Bamboo fiber is inherently strong and doesn’t need any chemicals for added strength. Bamboo pulp paper has natural color and white, natural color paper unbleached and not added to the white. Newland Bamboo uses ECF bleaching and H2O2 bleaching techniques that are totally chlorine-free. Wood pulp is naturally brown and requires bleaching to become white. Known bleaching techniques include chlorine bleaching, elemental chlorine-free (ECF) bleaching, H2O2 bleaching, ozone bleaching, and so on. A ton of white wood pulp paper will require the following: 75 tons of wood, 2 tons of coal, 100-kilowatt-hours of electricity, and 300 kilograms of chemicals. Recycled paper may use chemicals used for dyeing or bleaching during processing. A common chemical used is bisphenol-A (BPA) which causes heart diseases, fertility problems, and some other health issues. Recycled paper ranks lowest in terms of tenderness and strength when compared with bamboo and wood pulp paper. This prompts some manufacturers to add chemical treatment steps to get the needed strength and softness. 1 acre of Hemp can produce as much paper as 4-10 acres of trees over a 20-year cycle. Hemp has lower lignin content than wood. Hemp contains 5-24% lignin whereas wood has 20-35%. This is advantageous as lignin must be removed from the pulp before it can be processed as paper. Hemp paper is stronger than tree pulp paper.
In conclusion, the only way for the United States to abide by the Paris Agreement and help keep the globe below 2 degrees of warming, is if we do all that we can to first stop emitting CO2 and then to start sequestering the CO2 that’s already been emitted. Trees are the most reliable, cheap, and efficient carbon sequestering material we have right now. Furthermore, every time a tree is chopped down all of the CO2 it absorbed in its lifetime will be emitted back into the atmosphere. Saving our forests is one important task that satisfies both stopping and sequestering carbon in one action. With that being said it is imperative that we ban the practice of manufacturing paper or paper products out of tree pulp. However, the alternatives to wood pulp tend to be not only more renewable and better for the planet but better quality as well. Bamboo and hemp products require less bleaching is softer and stronger than wood pulp. Recycled paper requires bleaching and is less strong and less soft when compared to wood. Grass, on the other hand, hasn’t been experimented with long enough to see a true comparison. But this is a policy that will not only help to keep this planet within 2 degrees of warming but furthermore give customers more choices that are mostly of a higher quality than the industry standard wood pulp.
Sponsored by
To:
President Joe Biden, Michael S. Regan Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
From:
[Your Name]
Ballot Summary:
In order for the United States to abide by the Paris Agreement, we must work diligently to decarbonize every sector of our economy. The paper market uses trees which while they are a renewable source is not as renewable and efficient as other alternatives. For example, grass, hemp, and bamboo pulp are all great sources for paper production and has the added benefit of not having to destroy our forests for tree pulp extraction. The goal of this petition is to ban the use of tree pulp in the manufacturing of paper and paper products.
Full Ballot:
According to the US Forest Service, America's forests sequester 866 million tons of carbon a year, which is roughly 16% of the US annual emissions (depending on the year). While trees mainly pull carbon out of the atmosphere, they also release carbon dioxide. This occurs when a tree dies and decomposes thereby releasing all the gases it had previously consumed. So, when roughly 15.3 billion trees are cut down each year (worldwide) all of that stored carbon is released back into the atmosphere. Which explains the emissions from the paper industry, in the year 2020 the pulp and paper manufacturing sector in the United States emitted 24.5 million metric tons of CO2e according to the EPA. Since Trees serve such an important role in carbon sequestration, we should ban the paper industry from chopping down trees for their products. This will save about 36% of forests from being destroyed since 36% of deforestation is caused solely by paper production. Passing this law would help the United States in three ways. The first is less CO2 emissions from less deforestation. Second, the more trees there are the more carbon a forest can sequester. Third, more trees or larger forests also mean more or larger habitats for animals.
In order for the planet to stay below two degrees of warming, we have to do two main things. Stop emitting carbon, and sequester the carbon already emitted. Since trees consume carbon more efficiently the older and bigger, they are, it doesn’t make sense to continue to allow companies to chop full-grown trees and replace them with saplings. We need the most efficient system for carbon sequestration as possible. With that in mind we need to preserve our existing forests as best we can. Currently, the United States only has 23.2% of forest cover. If we don’t ban the practice of deforestation for tree pulp paper production that number will get too small to be able to sequester much of anything. For those thinking that there is no other way to produce paper let's talk about the alternatives.
The alternative to tree pulp for paper production would be; recycled paper, hemp pulp, grass pulp, and bamboo pulp. The difference between these chosen pulps and tree pulp is that hemp bamboo and grass grow at a much faster rate when compared to trees. Bamboo and typical grass as members of the grass family their tops can be removed and processed, and as long as the root system hasn’t been damaged the tops will continue to grow. Meaning if you mow your lawn every other week those clippings can be used to produce paper. Hemp is a flowering plant, not a grass, but because the flowers aren’t what we're trying to extract the entire plant system can be harvested. Hemp only takes 100 days to grow from seed to adulthood whereas a tree like oak for example takes about 30 years to grow. While both are resources that can be renewed within one human lifespan. Grass, bamboo, and hemp are more renewable than trees because they grow at a much faster rate.
When it comes to the quality of these alternatives compared to wood pulp products. Bamboo tissue is softer than its wood counterpart. Bamboo fiber is inherently strong and doesn’t need any chemicals for added strength. Bamboo pulp paper has natural color and white, natural color paper unbleached and not added to the white. Newland Bamboo uses ECF bleaching and H2O2 bleaching techniques that are totally chlorine-free. Wood pulp is naturally brown and requires bleaching to become white. Known bleaching techniques include chlorine bleaching, elemental chlorine-free (ECF) bleaching, H2O2 bleaching, ozone bleaching, and so on. A ton of white wood pulp paper will require the following: 75 tons of wood, 2 tons of coal, 100-kilowatt-hours of electricity, and 300 kilograms of chemicals. Recycled paper may use chemicals used for dyeing or bleaching during processing. A common chemical used is bisphenol-A (BPA) which causes heart diseases, fertility problems, and some other health issues. Recycled paper ranks lowest in terms of tenderness and strength when compared with bamboo and wood pulp paper. This prompts some manufacturers to add chemical treatment steps to get the needed strength and softness. 1 acre of Hemp can produce as much paper as 4-10 acres of trees over a 20-year cycle. Hemp has lower lignin content than wood. Hemp contains 5-24% lignin whereas wood has 20-35%. This is advantageous as lignin must be removed from the pulp before it can be processed as paper. Hemp paper is stronger than tree pulp paper.
In conclusion, the only way for the United States to abide by the Paris Agreement and help keep the globe below 2 degrees of warming, is if we do all that we can to first stop emitting CO2 and then to start sequestering the CO2 that’s already been emitted. Trees are the most reliable, cheap, and efficient carbon sequestering material we have right now. Furthermore, every time a tree is chopped down all of the CO2 it absorbed in its lifetime will be emitted back into the atmosphere. Saving our forests is one important task that satisfies both stopping and sequestering carbon in one action. With that being said it is imperative that we ban the practice of manufacturing paper or paper products out of tree pulp. However, the alternatives to wood pulp tend to be not only more renewable and better for the planet but better quality as well. Bamboo and hemp products require less bleaching is softer and stronger than wood pulp. Recycled paper requires bleaching and is less strong and less soft when compared to wood. Grass, on the other hand, hasn’t been experimented with long enough to see a true comparison. But this is a policy that will not only help to keep this planet within 2 degrees of warming but furthermore give customers more choices that are mostly of a higher quality than the industry standard wood pulp.