LIMITING global warming will require major transitions in the energy sector, as well as immediate and deep emissions reductions across all sectors, said the United Nations' (UN) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its latest report.

The next few years will be particularly critical. Keeping warming to around 1.5 deg C will require global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to peak before 2025 at the latest, and be reduced by 43 per cent by 2030. At the same time, methane would also need to be cut by about a third.

This will involve a substantial reduction in fossil fuel use, widespread electrification, improved energy efficiency, and use of alternative fuels such as hydrogen.