Vertical farming claims to be the future of agriculture, yet the energy required for LED lighting and climate control makes its carbon footprint staggeringly higher than traditional farming for most crops. I calculated that a single kilogram of lettuce grown in a vertical farm could use up to 10 kilowatt-hours of electricity, which in many regions means burning coal. Unless we crack cheap renewable storage or focus on high-value crops like herbs, vertical farming remains a niche experiment rather than a solution to feeding billions.