Beijing's carbon efforts praised

China has topped a global emissions efficiency index for the first time, following a sharp fall in its consumption of coal.

According to PricewaterhouseCoopers' annual Low Carbon Economy Index report, released on Tuesday, coal consumption in the world's second-largest economy fell by 1.5 percent last year.

That translated into a 6.4 percent cut in China's carbon intensity, which is calculated as emissions per unit of GDP. The change put China ahead of leading economies, including the UK. Overall, the report found that global carbon intensity fell in 2015 by 2.8 percent, which was 0.1 percent more than in 2014. It was the eighth annual index produced by the international professional services company.

Jonathan Grant, the company's director of sustainability and climate change, said: "Coal consumption falling has been the most significant factor in leveling China's emissions and is partly the result of policies to improve air quality and power-plant efficiency."

He noted that solar power, while still a small part of China's economy, grew by 70 percent in 2015.

The findings will be good news for Beijing as it aims to tackle emissions and improve air quality and power-plant efficiency.

Richard Black, director of the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, a London-based non-profit group that supports debate on climate change, greeted the news.

"There's still a perception that China is building a high carbon economy and coal power stations, and that has not been true for a few years," he said. "Beijing had their targets and has shown swift transition to prioritize clean energy and reduce the use of coal and closing coal stations.

"And the finding shows that economies are working twice as fast in tackling climate change."

Although the figures are significant, with the Paris Agreement on climate change coming into force this month, the global number still falls short of the rapid reductions needed to achieve the goal of keeping global temperature rises below two degrees by the end of the century.

To meet that target, countries must reduce their carbon intensity by 6.5 percent every year from now to 2100.

Other major economies leading the way in the report were the UK with a drop of 6 percent and the US, with a fall of 4.7 percent.

Explaining the progress in the past year, Black said: "The success has largely come from reducing use of coal, especially China which has taken extraordinary steps this year to clean up its act and is now erecting two wind turbines every hour."