It may not be something to celebrate about but thanks to the financial crisis, Australia's greenhouse emissions has dropped by 2.4 percent last year though conservationists weren't too happy at all at the prospect of a rebounding economy, which should mean that those unwanted gasses should spew out again and only the sky is the limit.

The latest annual National Greenhouse Gas Inventory showed that emissions had slipped down by 537 million tonnes in 2009 which is largely due to slowed down activities in the steel industry where less coal was fired up to create electricity.

Yet as the economy darted its way recovery, the latter part of 2009 saw the greenhouse emissions returning to 2005 levels and actual inventory showed that emissions rose by 0.6 percent in trend terms in the same period last year.

The latest inventory figures is also suggesting that further rises in emissions can be expected with the anticipated solid economic growth while the federal government's climate policies were almost unable to bring down emission levels.

However, the present Rudd government has expressed intents to start emission reductions scheme by 2013 and corresponding report card showed that it is well on its way to honour its Kyoto Protocol target of limiting emission growth to eight percent by 2012, coming from the highs seen in 1990.

Climate Change Minister Penny Wong admitted that that emissions were on the rise anew and bringing them down would pose a challenge for the government as "we know that a price on carbon will be necessary to meet our targets and to reverse the climbing trend of emissions growth."

The climate minister though gave assurance that the Rudd government would maintain its commitment to the ETS, notwithstanding undue delays as the scheme should commence by July according to original plans.

Meanwhile, Climate Institute's Erwin Jackson affirmed that the data furnished by the report card should be a valid cause for concern when the inventory showed that emissions were again going up following a substantial dip.

"The inventory only highlighted the economy's dangerous addiction to polluting technologies," he said.