Atmospheric CO₂ was likely an important amplifier of global-scale orbitally-driven warming during the last deglaciation. However, the mechanisms responsible for the rise in CO₂, and the coherent rise in Antarctic isotopic temperature records, are under debate. Using a stochastic method, we detect variable lags between coherent changes in Antarctic temperature and CO₂. This implies that the climate mechanisms linking the two records changed or experienced modulations during the deglaciation.