My back of the envelope calculations show that 30 years of coal mining alone would dump that much CO2 into the atmosphere... so most of it is getting absorbed..

My back of the envelope calculations show that 30 years of coal mining alone would dump that much CO2 into the atmosphere... so most of it is getting absorbed... which is good, or we'd be roasted by now. Perhaps, in addition to burning less fossil fuels, it would be a good idea to see where the carbon sinks are, and help those work more effectively? I know that sustainable farming captures a lot of carbon in the soil, for example.