En‑ROADS Assignment

Engage students with a thought-provoking exercise that challenges them to explore actionable climate solutions. The En‑ROADS Assignment invites students to use the En‑ROADS Climate Simulator to design a scenario that successfully mitigates global climate change while assessing implications across the economy, environment, and society.

Educators and others can deliver this exercise as a homework assignment or in-class activity, with short (1-2 hours) and long (multi-day) formats available. It is adaptable for secondary students through graduate-level students.

Learning Objectives

Build knowledge about global climate systems
Explore possible climate solutions and the economic, environmental, and societal implications
Practice evidence-based decision-making
Strengthen skills in systems thinking

Hear from Stanford University graduate students who completed the En‑ROADS Assignment.

Facilitating the Assignment

1. Educator Preparation

Before introducing the assignment to your students, we recommend you:

Review the complete assignment and instructions.
Short Version Long Version
Modify the assignment to align with your curriculum goals, as needed.
Watch this 1-hour lecture of the assignment being delivered to graduate students, if you are unfamiliar with En‑ROADS.
To facilitate a deeper experience, sign up for our free Mastering En‑ROADS training to learn more about climate solutions, the science behind the simulator, and how to answer difficult questions.

To offer your students a more immersive experience, consider starting with an En‑ROADS Climate Solutions Workshop or Climate Action Simulation role-playing game before the assignment.

Explore translated versions of the Assignment.

2. Student Preparation

Set your students up for success by providing background knowledge before they begin the assignment. Here are some suggestions:

Give a brief walkthrough of the En‑ROADS Simulator, highlighting key graphs and sliders.
Share the link to the En‑ROADS Simulator and encourage students to experiment independently.
Have your students watch this 10-minute introductory video or the more technical 1-hour lecture.

3. Assignment Delivery

Now that you and your students have completed the preparation, it’s time to dive into the assignment.

Encourage your students to share their scenarios through interactive activities such as:

Group discussions about the different approaches they used and questions raised during their work.
Producing short videos to present their results. See an example here.
Hosting a formal presentation or competition where teams pitch their proposals. Check out this video example from Stanford University.

Finally, please register your event each time you use this assignment. Registration helps us improve our tools, track global usage, and demonstrate our impact so we can continue offering this resource for free.

“I used the long version of your guided assignment this past semester, and it was very successful....one student, on his final, wrote, ‘One of the most valuable interfaces over the course of the semester was En‑ROADS.'”

Dr. Alan Robock Professor, Rutgers University

Additional Support

En‑ROADS User Guide: Learn how to navigate the simulator.
Resource Library: Explore more materials.
Support Desk: Search FAQs or submit a question.