seanb==your practical experience is a treasure trove.  Add Obtusers technical knowledge and we ought to be able to figure out why some bug is not dining on coal seams?  Course--I don't know for sure they arent?  But assuming they aren't, Obtusers idea that there are too many contaminants  at least makes sense?

I have to add an adjunct: There are bacteria or bugs that do eat Sulfur/Sulfur compounds. They are anerobic, exist in very hostile locations like certain caves and deep Ocean thermal hydro vents, both of which are also essentially in total darkness! Since Sulfur is a sister Element to Oxygen, these microbes have evolved to use the Sulfur to oxidize the other compounds/molecules which releases energy similar to the Oxygen oxidation reactions. I strongly suspect that where there is water in and around a coal seam there will be some sort of microbe presence. But just drive through West Virginia and observe the vast amounts of coal seams exposed along major highway grade cuts, and it becomes obvious that not all coal can be available or suitable for microbial ingestion. Like oil, coal is a catch all word for a wide category of Carbonaceous materials from Peat Moss, Lignite right on up to Metallurgical grade Anthracite!

Well, consider that the only reason gold is available in mines is because of bacterial action concentrating the dissolved gold out of the groundwater. There are mines now using bacterial leaching to get more gold out of the rock, and the best source of gold was for many years recycling old dumps, where the gold concentration was higher than the current gold bearing rock, with a bonus of recycling acid, mercury, PGM's and the cleared dump being available as building land again, with the powdered rock being pumped back into the ground to fill old workings.

Of course there are problems, google Aurora Gold.

This has been mentioned before but pictures are always nice (declining fish cash leading to dead oceans):

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/plenty-less-fish-in-the-sea-dramatic-838275

Well, consider that the only reason gold is available in mines is because of bacterial action concentrating the dissolved gold out of the groundwater. There are mines now using bacterial leaching to get more gold out of the rock, and the best source of gold was for many years recycling old dumps, where the gold concentration was higher than the current gold bearing rock, with a bonus of recycling acid, mercury, PGM's and the cleared dump being available as building land again, with the powdered rock being pumped back into the ground to fill old workings.

Of course there are problems, google Aurora Gold.

I think you will find that there is much virgin Gold being mined still in the World as well as in Canada, but there is bacterial leaching of Gold missed in those tailing piles/ponds as well as other metals, including Cobalt 59. Another source of Gold that has not been tapped is Sea Water! There is a huge cache there, but the processing of vast amounts of brine is not economical, AT THIS TIME!

Good thing climate change is just a hoax, right? How's that hoax feeling these days? The forecast ahead? Fire ... and brimstone?

http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/07/summer-fire-and-brimstone-ahead

Where are we going? And, why are we in this handbasket?

http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/06/earth-tipping-points-nature

Oh, one more bit of bad news for the day. Crop yields are already falling due to climate change. And, there doesn't seem to be a damn thing Monsanto can do about it, regardless of their claims.

http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2012/07/conventional-agriculture-nor-ready-climate-change

More regarding reduced food production due to climate change. Crop reserves are at their lowest level since 1974. The UN is predicting a global food crisis for 2013.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2012/oct/14/un-global-food-crisis-warning

THIS POST STARTED IN Jan,
and is now 15 pages..

THIS POST STARTED IN Jan,
and is now 15 pages..

Is that a bad thing? It'll never beat Horse Penis for page views. But, isn't a well read and debated post a good thing?

It does well..

And more facts ...

http://www.businessinsider.com/climate-change-global-warming-scientific-evidence-2011-8?op=1

Every fact is a fact, but its only a theory that pulls them all together to inform us of what's important.  The temp changes and all the effects "could be" nothing more than natural variation standing alone.  Until you add the effect of co2 level in the atmosphere.  A green house gas increases temperature.  Something none of the nay sayers EVER have an answer to.

Fun to watch the Science Deniers spin their theories.  Something to pay attention to as it parallels what a denier does across the board.  In large part:  Science by construct is not dogmatic.  Makes it look the weaker position when up against those who don't and never will study the science and who are happy to be firm and resolute regardless of the facts.

So--some very bad consequences are going to hit before Hoomans agree steps against it need to be taken.  Very telling that there have already been tv shows on what DRAMATIC restoration efforts can be made:  covering the artic in aluminum foil and what not since we will have melted all the snow, etc.

Pop Culture way ahead of our leaders.  Bunch of Hollywood lefty redistributing communists I tell you!

As stated many times above:  once you have green energy--the solution to many problems is on hand:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/science/air-fuel-synthesis-british-firm-1388518

and a little bit more info here:  http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn22407-the-big-question-mark-over-gasoline-from-air.html?cmpid=RSS|NSNS|2012-GLOBAL|online-news

I think the article is "wrong" about one conclusion that the cost must be compared to other methods to dispose of co2 like burying it.  Yes, it needs to be reviewed but the main point of the process is producing liquid fuel that can be used in cars.  Silly to lose sight of that fact.  AND if the energy required for the process is "free" from solar, then that really drops out of the equation as well.  Seems to me the process is an excellent "storage" mechanism for when there is more solar energy than can be used or it is located in essence off the grid somewhere.

Just one more element in an all out approach to get energy independent, green, and off coal.  LETS GET GOING!!!!

Now this is a lake water air conditioning Green system that does work and saves money!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enwave
Canadian ingenuity at work!