We are "the Saudi Arabia of coal" - should we just leave it in the ground, or use it?

Question

We are "the Saudi Arabia of coal" - should we just leave it in the ground, or use it?

Answer 1

We are using it. About 50% of our energy goes from coal Power Plants. Just go to the Source for all the info on Coal.

I believe that we should be using the Coal/Energy that we have in our own country and not be so depended on foriegn Oil/Energy. The problem with Foriegn Oil/Energy is what we see happening today. If the prices rise then the economy begins to slump and fail.

My Perfect Plan of action and change would be if the US becomes completely energy independent. The US needs to keep it coal consumption the same until it can replace foriegn oil/energy with reneable energy sources like wind and solar.  Then once the us has done that, some point in the next 100 years, relie soully on renewable energy sources and green and clean ones like wind and solar.

That would be perfect

Answer 2

And after we use it, and if we actually managed to accomplish burning it all and global CO2 is 900ppm, and global temps are at the worst case senario of 15F higher with massive unpredictable planetary climate disruption, and the oceans are dead from acidification...

And we've used up all the coal, then what do we do?  

Oh, we're right back where we started, and we need to find an alternative anyway, except that the earth has been destroyed.  Oops.

You know, we're beginning to understand that the collapse of major civilizations throughout history was directly related to climate.  Local climate change that was possibly a result of local ecosystem distruption - caused by human civilization itself.

Now we are distrupting the climate on a planetary scale.

Real science is profound and sobering.