Not only is coal burning responsible for one third of US carbon emissions -- the main contributor to climate disruption -- but it is also making us sick. In the U.S., 1 out of 10 children suffers from asthma -- it is the number-one illness that causes kids to miss school. Half of U.S. families live in places with unsafe air. Pollution from coal-fired power plants leads to smog, which can cause chest pain, coughing, and breathing difficulties. Smog can make conditions like bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma worse or even fatal.

Coal pollution is responsible for:

• 13,000 premature deaths every year
• More than $100 billion in annual health costs
• Over 200,000 asthma attacks annually

Burning coal also releases toxic mercury that rains down onto rivers and streams and contaminates the fish that we eat. Mercury is especially dangerous to pregnant women and young children because it's a powerful neurotoxin that can damage the brain and nervous system.

Get the Beyond Coal PDF fact sheet here!

HOW MANY DIRTY COAL-BURNING
PLANTS HAVE WE RETIRED?

DIRTY POWER PLANTS RETIRED

130
down

392
to go

The plants counted here are "planned retirements" plants that have
announced they will retire and have set a specific retirement date.

and there's more:

DIRTY BOILERS RETIRED

383
down

891
to go

Each coal-burning plant is made up of specific number of boilers. Since not all coal plants are the same size, the number tracked here shows the total number of coal boilers in the U.S. that have been announced for retirement.

that means:

DIRTY MEGAWATTS RETIRED

50,718
down

292,294
to go

An average coal-burning plant is 500 MW which powers roughly 260,000 houses a year.

and that also means:

CLEAN ENERGY MEGAWATTS

50,000
installed

725,000
to go

As old coal plants retire, we're working to make sure that clean energy like wind and
solar will step in to replace them, providing many new jobs for American workers.

RETIRING ONE DIRTY COAL-BURNING PLANT WILL PREVENT:

more than 29 premature deaths
47 heart attacks
146 asthma attacks
22 asthma emergency room visits¹

1. Numbers are per year, data from the Clean Air Task Force