Editor's note

Life’s all about ups and downs. Take interest rates, which this week went down to 1.25% in a desperate bid to boost the sluggish economy by giving mortgage-holders some extra spending money. The RBA would dearly like them to be much higher, but as Peter Martin writes, rates might have to go lower still if things don’t turn around soon.

On the flipside, government figures belatedly released this week reveal that Australia’s greenhouse emissions continue to climb, despite the urgency of bringing them down. Energy minister Angus Taylor resisted the urge to spin the data, presumably because there’s no escaping the fact that emissions have risen inexorably since the carbon price was scrapped.

And speaking of numbers, a huge thanks for the generosity shown by the 7,700+ of you who have kindly donated to our annual giving campaign. Thank you. Every donation counts, and your support helps us carry on publishing evidence-based, informed analysis by top researchers.

Michael Hopkin

Environment + Energy Editor

Top Stories

Reserve Bank Governor Phi;lip Lowe will keep cutting rates until he has forced inflation up and unemployment down. Dan Himbrechts/AAP

The Reserve Bank will cut rates again and again, until we lift spending and push up prices

Peter Martin, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University

The Reserve Bank cut interest rates on Tuesday because we weren't spending or pushing up prices at the rate it wanted. On Wednesday we might find things are worse than it thought.

Energy minister Angus Taylor has a range of options when discussing complex emissions data. AAP Image/Dean Lewins

Whichever way you spin it, Australia’s greenhouse emissions have been climbing since 2015

Tim Baxter, University of Melbourne

Australia's new emissions data for the December 2018 quarter show a rise on the previous quarter, although the raw figures actually dropped. Here's what that all means.

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