John,

Last month we shared that the Beyond Coal campaign, with the support of Bloomberg Philanthropies, has retired 60% of the coal-fired power plants in America -- and is on track to close 100% by 2030.

That's obviously great news for the planet. But it also brings a range of other benefits: avoiding billions of dollars in health care costs, fighting environmental racism by cleaning the air in communities of color, and saving thousands of lives.

Learn more about the far-reaching impacts of closing coal plants in our latest Follow the Data podcast episode:

In the episode, you'll hear from three environmental leaders: Antha Williams, global head of Climate and Environment programs at Bloomberg Philanthropies, Mary Anne Hitt, the Sierra Club's national director of campaigns, and Reverend Lennox Yearwood, the president and CEO of Hip Hop Caucus.

They talk about the progress that has been made, the importance of "people power" in keeping it going, and why, as Reverend Yearwood says, closing coal plants "means life and death" for millions of Americans -- especially people of color.

With a majority of registered voters in the United States saying that climate change will be an important issue in the presidential election, they also discuss how the spotlight is (finally) on climate change, and why it is critical to support climate champions up and down the ballot.

Check out the full conversation today:

SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/follow-the-data/87-moving-america-beyond-coal

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0swhPXLuAZtgZqyA4nSayH

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/87-moving-america-beyond-coal/id1104371750

Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/bloomberg-philanthropies/follow-the-data

Simplecast: https://follow-the-data-podcast-dae580b6.simplecast.com/episodes/87-moving-america-beyond-coal

America is moving beyond coal -- and Bloomberg Philanthropies is proud to be part of the work to build a clean energy future, fight climate change, and promote environmental justice.

Thanks,

Bloomberg Philanthropies