Coal

Dirty, Destructive, Toxic and Bad

Coal-fired power plants provide nearly 50 percent of our electricity and, pound-for-pound, are the planet's dirtiest source of electricity. Burning coal is the nation's top source of air pollution and toxic mercury, and it is responsible for one-third of the country's greenhouse gas emissions - nearly 2 billion tons per year.

Though the cost of building all these new power plants is exorbitant -- more than $140 billion -- Wall Street banks such as Citi (formerly Citigroup) and Bank of America are providing the financial backing for them that will lock us in to dirty energy for decades.