Leading the Climate Action Simulation

OVERVIEW

The Climate Action Simulation game is a group role-playing experience staged as a summit organized by the United Nations to urgently address climate change. During the game, participants are divided into six teams—such as Conventional Energy representatives and the Climate Justice Hawks—that represent different global stakeholders of business, government, and civil society who can influence climate solutions. The stakeholder groups are given a directive to work together to create a plan to limit global warming to well below 2°C and aim for 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, the international goals formally recognized in the Paris climate agreement.

The game is led by at least one facilitator who plays the role of the UN Secretary General. Teams discuss their climate solution strategies, negotiate with others, and propose a climate solution every round which reflects their group’s interests. These climate solutions are analyzed in real-time using the En-ROADS Climate Solutions Simulator, an interactive climate simulator for exploring the impacts of different cross-sector climate actions.

The game is played until a scenario under 2°C warming is reached, or time is up. At the end of the game, participants engage in a rich debriefing discussion to explore their feelings, insights, and takeaways from the experience.

We encourage you to watch this brief video overview to learn more about the Climate Action Simulation game.


CAN I LEAD THE GAME?

Anyone with enough interest and dedication can learn to lead the Climate Action Simulation. People from all different backgrounds and levels of familiarity with climate change can learn from this experience. The game can be run online or in-person and can accommodate groups of any size, although typically 20-50 people is ideal. Find the materials needed to run the workshop below, many of them are offered in a number of languages.

We will note, the Climate Action Simulation can be facilitated by one person, but the ideal facilitation team includes two people—one person more focused on running the En-ROADS simulator and explaining its dynamics and the second person more focused on group dynamics and learning.

If you have any questions about facilitating the Climate Action Simulation game, please be sure to explore our Frequently Asked Questions or ask our team a question.


HOW DO I LEARN HOW TO LEAD IT?

The best way to learn to run the Climate Action Simulation is by participating in the online Mastering En-ROADS Training Series . This free 8-week program will teach you everything you need to know about the Climate Action Simulation. In addition, this training will advance your understanding of the En-ROADS Simulator—exploring the dynamics driving our climate and energy system, interdisciplinary climate solutions, advanced facilitation tips, themes of equity and justice, event planning, and more.

By signing up for this course you will join a vibrant community of educators, policymakers, activists, professionals, community organizers, and students who are running their own En-ROADS events—delivering insights, and cultivating climate leadership worldwide.

While you don’t need to complete the Mastering En-ROADS Training Series to facilitate the game, exploring videos from the series is the best way to boost your knowledge about the En-ROADS simulator and host a successful event. In particular, we recommend watching videos from Module 7 of the series, “The Climate Action Simulation”. We also recommend reading over the Game’s Facilitator Guide, which is a comprehensive manual that will walk you through how to organize and lead the game.

If you encounter something you don’t understand along the way, or have other questions, please be sure to explore our Frequently Asked Questions or ask our team a question.

Climate Action Simulation Materials

When you’re ready to run your game, you can find the materials you’ll need to run your event here. We update the materials regularly to keep up with our latest facilitation techniques, simulator updates, and general climate science—so make sure you have the latest version before running your next event! Briefing statements and other materials for the game are also available in dozens of languages beyond English.

View Game Materials ❯

Promote Your Event

Are you or a colleague running the Climate Action Simulation? Advertising your event can help attract more participants, and also inspire others to lead their own event. To do so, you can download and share a customizable flyer to promote your event—or advertise your way using our communications kit. If you promote your event on social media, be sure to tag Climate Interactive and use the #EnROADS!

Register Your Event

Have you run the Climate Action Simulation or have one planned? Great! Make sure to register your event below and we can add it to the map of events all over the world. Registering your event allows us to share future updates to the materials and connects you to our global community.

Register Your Event! ❯