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"Taking that carbon from deep underground, converting it and spewing it into the atmosphere can’t be good."

I would like to see your evidence that this is true.

As far as I know --- and I am open to debate based on facts --- the carbon in the hydrocarbon fuels (coal, gas, and oil) was once ALL in the atmosphere.

Taking a long, simplified, and sweeping view, our planet has huge ages-long carbon cycles in which carbon-rich sediments accumulate on the ocean floors, from whence they are drawn back under the crust in the tectonic plate subduction areas. Over time they convert into coal, gas, and oil.

Then they get extracted and burned, at which time the carbon, as CO₂, is beneficially liberated back into the atmosphere. Much of it gets dissolved in seawater. From thence, green plants, on both land and sea, convert CO₂ plus sunlight energy, into carbohydrates, other forms of potential energy, and O₂.

And repeat.

The only reason we have free O₂ in the atmosphere AT ALL, is because green plants absorb yummy, nutritious CO₂ like crazy, and continuously release O₂ into the atmosphere.

Atmospheric CO₂ is now at famine level, a measly 410 ppm or so, way below what is optimal for green plants. You can prove this on a practical sense by noting that at any greenhouse supply store in the world, you can buy CO₂ generators to try to boost your hungry plants' atmospheric CO₂ up to a much better 1500 ppm --- a nearly fourfold increase --- because that is standard for most plant life.

Back when atmospheric CO₂ was over 1500 ppm, that was when the earth had ferns 15 meters tall, permafrost was not tragically locking up 22% of the land in the Northern Hemisphere, there was 100x more species- diversity, and things looked a lot more like Eden.

The CO₂ concentration in the atmosphere is now seriously substandard, from the point of biosphere vigor and diversity, at geologic timescales.

It's just fortunate that we have a hydrocarbon-based industrial economy, because we are finally taking our rightful place in the biosphere and liberating that lifegiving CO₂ into the air, and giving the Carbon Cycle a robust, much needed, re-invigorating spin.

Hey?

Class, discuss.