By IPS Correspondents
May 27 2014 (IPS)

The global canon of climate legislation has undergone significant changes over the last four decades. These changes in recent years have included a growing body of signature laws and initiatives spearheaded by countries in the global South, many of which are disproportionally affected by decades of uncurbed global environmental degradation and greenhouse gas emissions.

The following three infographics provide historic context alongside key data from the fourth edition of the GLOBE International Climate Legislation Study and to illustrate the long-term and more recent evolution of laws that accompany a growing global awareness of the negative impacts of climate change and the need for international cooperation on collective responses.

 
A timeline of events that contributed to increasing willingness to address climate change:
 

 
How do developed and developing countries compare in recent policy responses to climate change?
 
 

 
 
How does your country compare in the number and types of climate laws?