Lets get a one thing straight here: the consumption of both bags takes a heck of a lot from the environment. Paper bags require the destruction of millions of tons of forests, many of which are being exhausted at a rate faster than being replenished. And then there is the issue of plastic, products made from the nonrenewable resource of oil which requires a lot of energy. It actually takes more than 750 degrees Fahrenheit to heat up the oil and to produce the bag, which taxes the environment enormously. The creation of a paper bag is a long process, requiring that tons of trees be felled in order to produce a miniscule product. It actually takes three tons of wood chips to make one ton of pulp. Not the most productive process...
It surprised me to learn that plastic bags actually impact the environment much less than paper in terms of the use of fossil fuels and other resources. It should be noted that paper bags hold a significantly larger amount of items (50-400% more). However, paper is notably much more prone to biodegradation than plastic, but there are plastic polymers generated from plants that are enabling plastics to now become biodegradable. The ability to recycle are both tedious.
What is the best option then? Both are taxing to the earth, but both are very much in high demand. Might I suggest a handy dandy reusable canvas bag? Chic and "in" (well maybe...) these bags are 14 times better than using plastic bags and 39 times better than paper. Their life spans are much longer than paper or plastic bags and can be used up to 500 times!
From my research it seems that plastic bags are marginally better on the environment than paper bags, but why settle for either of these crummy choices when there is a far superior alternative for use?
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