France, Jan. 1 -- Global carbon emissions may have peaked in 2023 - the hottest year in history - as efforts to step up renewable energy and step back from fossil fuels show signs of promise.

Climate experts are increasingly hopeful that 2024 could mark the beginning of a fall in emissions produced by the energy sector - a milestone the International Energy Agency (IEA) had earlier predicated would be met by the middle of this decade.

The energy sector is to blame for about three-quarters of global greenhouse emissions, and an overall emissions peak is needed in order for the world to achieve net zero by 2050.

The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says the net zero emissions target is the only way to cap temperature rises ...