Sawzaw

If you burn coal, you add more carbon to the atmosphere.

If you burn trees then grow more trees then you are recycling carbon that is already in the biosphere. That's why they call biofuels sustainable energy.

In general it is bad to burn large, old growth trees. Its worse to replace trees with crops. It is worse still to replace trees with pasture. But for releasing carbon into the air, burning fossil fuel burning is the worst.

Fear not! Environmental education is taking place in the schools. It may be too late for you. But your grand children will probably be able to speak very intelligently on this subject.