Co Authored by Lauri Myllyvirta, Greenpeace International Sources: Compiled from China National Bureau of Statistics and China National Coal Association statistical releases. There may be a light at the end of the long dark tunnel: It appears China’s coal boom is over. While positive signs have been emerging from China for well over a year , it appears the ‘ war on pollution ‘ is not just talk. According to analysis produced by Lauri Myllyvirta and Greenpeace International in the first half of this year, China’s coal use dropped for the first time this century — while the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) actually grew. You read that right: coal and GDP growth have decoupled in China. At the same time, the growth of imports — the seemingly endless source of optimism for the moribund U.S. coal industry — ground almost to a halt, with only 0.9 percent growth […]