For two consecutive years, China's coal consumption has droppe, according to government data revealed on Monday, as the biggest polluter in the world tries to address the severe pollution that accompanied its economic growth.

According to the findings of the National Bureau of Statistics in China, the use of coal plunged to 3.7 percent in 2015 compared with 2014. The decrease follows a 2.9 percent drop in 2014.

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China's ladder towards becoming the second largest economy in the world was fueled by coal. As that growth slows down, China is having a hard time weaning itself off the fuel, despite widespread concerns about pollution.

The country's fuel consumption has increased twice in the past decade, reaching over four billion tonnes in a year.

Critics say China has been understating its yearly coal use for years. Recently, a different set of statistics was revealed, with the figure for 2012 alone emerging up to 17 percent (600 million tonnes), according to The Guardian.

This resulted in doubts as to whether China's official statistics are valid. Some experts believe it can be subject to political manipulation.

Monday's report reveals that China's coal consumption plummeted to 64 percent last year, a decrease from 66 percent in 2014. The result, on the other hand, was received with tempered optimism by some observers.

"China is on track to far pass its Paris climate targets," senior global campaigner on coal for Greenpeace Lauri Myllyvirta said. "However, the trend is not moving as fast as it could."

Meanwhile, in a press conference on Monday, a human resources and social security ministry official revealed that China is planning to lay off 1.8 million workers from the steel and coal sectors, although the time frame has not been announced yet.

Tagscoal consumption, china, Greenpeace, Pollution, China Air Pollution