Greenhouse gas emissions rebounded in the three months following last year’s lockdown from the end of March to the beginning of June.

Data from Stats NZ showed emissions fell by 8.1 percent over the lockdown period, but then sharply rose by 9.1 percent in the three months after.

The seasonally adjusted figures showed emissions fell from 20,134 kilotonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents in the first three months of the year, down to 18,494 kilotonnes in the next.

That decrease showed the impact the lockdown had on emissions. Level 4 lockdown began on 23 March, and social distancing measures continuing until level 1 arrived on 8 June.

But for the three months following that period, emissions returned to the status quo. Between July and September last year, 20,176 kilotonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents were emitted.

They are now at a similar level as they were at the start of 2020.

“Recent global events have highlighted the need to see short-term impacts on both the economyand emissions, and to be able to make comparisons between the two,” Stats NZ environmental-economic accounts manager Stephen Oakley said.

The dip and rise followed closely the fluctuations of GDP, which suffered an 11 percent downturn due to the lockdown, but then increased by 14 percent in September.