C-ROADS - Climate Interactive

Climate Change Policy Simulator

C-ROADS is a free, award-winning computer simulator that helps people understand the long-term climate impacts of national and regional greenhouse gas emission reductions at the global level. C-ROADS has helped the world to understand the impact of the emission reduction pledges countries have proposed to the United Nations. These proposals take different forms with different reference and target years, however, using C-ROADS we can rapidly test these policies to determine whether collectively they are enough to stabilize temperature below 2°C. C-ROADS World Climate is made available for free to make insights about what it takes to address climate change more accessible. We encourage you to use C-ROADS as part of a World Climate Simulation, where a group of people play the roles of UN climate negotiators working to create an agreement to limit global warming.

C-ROADS World Climate

C-ROADS World Climate is designed for simple climate policy tests, interactive presentations, and our role-play exercise—the World Climate Simulation. It offers global, 3-region, and 6-region modes in order to test national and regional emission reduction policies. C-ROADS World Climate is available for download to Windows and Mac and can also be run online. Includes French, Spanish, Chinese, German, and Turkish language support.

Download C-ROADS World Climate

Run C-ROADS World Climate Online

C-ROADS Pro

C-ROADS Pro is designed for technical users looking to analyze specific greenhouse gas emission reduction policies in various forms for up to 15 regions simultaneously. Available for download to Windows and Mac. Download C-ROADS Pro and watch C-ROADS Pro Video Tutorials to get started.

Background

C-ROADS is developed by Climate Interactive, MIT, Ventana Systems, and UML Climate Change Initiative. The name C-ROADS stands for “Climate Rapid Overview and Decision Support” simulator. The model was reviewed by an external scientific review committee, chaired by Sir Robert Watson, former Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The reviewers recommended C-ROADS for widespread use. Read a summary of their review here.

C-ROADS has been used in top government, corporate, and NGO levels, and by individuals participating in or monitoring the UNFCCC negotiations. Read comments by some of our users.

Quotes from Users

“The C-ROADS model from Climate Interactive was used by me and other members of President Obama’s climate-change team for gaining rapid insights into the consequences of alternative greenhouse-gas-emissions trajectories for the United States and the rest of the world.”

Dr. John Holdren, White House Science Advisor, 2008-2016

“More chilling is the computer modeling [the C-ROADS team] did against the current plans of every single country that is planning to do anything, and it’s not that big a group…. They took all of these current projections and ran the computer models against what is currently happening in the science. And in every single case, it showed that we are not just marginally above a catastrophic tipping point level. We are hugely, significantly above it.”

Former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, as a U.S. Senator during former Secretary of State Clinton’s Confirmation Hearing, 14 January 2009

“The results [of C-ROADS] have been very helpful to our team here at the U.S. State Department….The simulator’s quick and accurate calculation of atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and temperatures has been a great asset to us. …I have made use of the results in both internal discussions, and in the international negotiations….”

Jonathan Pershing, former Deputy Special Envoy for Climate Change, U.S. Department of State

C-ROADS RESOURCES

The C-ROADS Simulator (online version)
Run C-ROADS online here.

One-page External Review
Summary statement from the C‐ROADS scientific review panel.

The C-ROADS Simulator (downloadable version)
Download C-ROADS for Windows or Mac.

Overview of the Simulator
A 5-page review on the motivation and dynamics behind the C-ROADS simulator.

The World Climate Simulation
Use C-ROADS in a game where participants role-play as different countries while negotiating climate policy solutions.

The C-ROADS Reference Guide
Detailed documentation of the model structure and assumptions behind C-ROADS, including simulation purpose, structure, parameters, test results, and bibliography.

The World Climate Training Plan
Join our interactive training plan if you are interested in learning how to facilitate the game.

System Dynamics Review
Journal article on C-ROADS published in System Dynamics Review July 2012. (translated into Chinese)

C-ROADS Webinar
Watch this webinar to learn more about the dynamics behind C-ROADS.

Comments & Feedback
Read more comments and feedback from C-ROADS users and World Climate Simulation participants.

C-ROADS FAQs
Frequently asked questions about C-ROADS, including data and assumptions behind the model.

Press and Media Coverage
Press coverage of C-ROADS and other Climate Interactive tools.

Management Flight Simulators to Support Climate Negotiations
Environmental Modeling and Software. Sterman John, Thomas Fiddaman, Travis Franck, Andrew Jones, Stephanie McCauley, Philip Rice, Elizabeth Sawin, Lori Siegel. (2013)