Since the second half of 2016 and into the first half of 2017, a recovery in China's real estate industry has fueled demand for cement, steel and other building materials, leading to an increase in coal consumption that threatens to reverse three years of successive reductions. As a result, PM 2.5 levels in the Jing-Jin-Ji area have increased 14.3% in the first half of 2017. On July 25, the China Coal Cap Project, together with the Global Green Leadership platform, held a workshop with nearly 90 experts from industry, research institutes, companies, and media to discuss the need for and policies to address rising coal consumption in the industry, including greater energy efficiency, in order to help China achieve its environmental and climate goals for 2017 and 2020.