Coal mines have stripped away roughly 400,000 hectares of Appalachian forests.
Burning coal for energy is adding more and more planet-warming carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. As the planet heats up, experts warn that simply cutting greenhouse gas emissions won’t be enough to prevent potentially catastrophic levels of global warming. CO2 must also be removed from the atmosphere in vast amounts.
Restoring West Virginia’s forests could remove a huge amount of the atmospheric carbon added by burning West Virginia coal, thus helping to restore the global climate.
Photo of West Virginia forest with first dusting of snow by Storm Cunningham.