Coal consumption in China falls for the 3rd year in a row

China's coal consumption declines for the third consecutive year in 2016 as the world's largest pollutant increasingly faces massive environmental challenges.

The National Bureau of Statistics reported that coal consumption fell 4.7 percent last year. The share of coal in China's total energy consumption fell to 62 percent in 2016 from 64 percent a year earlier.

Burning coal is the largest source of greenhouse gases, while China is ranked as the world's largest consumer of coal and consumption has declined amid slowing economic growth. China is also seeking to reduce its use of coal in favor of natural gas and renewable energy.

The decline in coal consumption, however, did not mean an overall reduction in energy consumption. The country's total energy use rose by the equivalent of 4.36 billion tons of fuel equivalent, up 1.4 percent from the previous year, the Bureau of Statistics said in a statement. Oil consumption increased by 5.5 percent, natural gas by 8 percent and electricity by 5 percent.

Consumption of renewable sources such as solar and wind power accounted for 19.7 percent of the total energy balance, up 1.7 percent from a year earlier, while coal production fell 9 percent to 3.41 billion tons. In China, less efficient and more hazardous coal mines have been closed for years in an effort to boost productivity in the sector.

The second largest economy in the world, China, is the main source of carbon dioxide and man-made emissions, with the first economy, the United States, in second place.