Experience En-ROADS
Toolkit download available at bottom of page
Are you curious about what it will actually take to start slowing and even reversing the impacts of climate change? Complex problems like climate change require multi-prong solutions. En-ROADS is an interactive online simulation portal created by Climate Interactive, an independent, not-for-profit think-tank that grew out of MIT Sloan with guidance from Dr. John Sterman at MIT.
Dr. Sterman is the Jay W. Forrester Professor of Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management and a Professor in the MIT Institute for Data, Systems, and Society. He is also the Director of the MIT System Dynamics Group and the MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative, as well as one of TCI’s Advisors!
Using the most up-to-date available science, En-ROADS allows you and your friends to be decision-makers to help solve the climate crisis.
The goal is to keep the global temperature at or below 3.5°F. In the En-ROADS simulator, multiple levers move to attain your goal. Each lever, backed by thousands of equations, is based on the most current science. The simulation is divided into multiple categories and has levers that manipulate energy supply, transport, buildings and industry, growth, land and industry emission, and carbon removal. Within these categories, you can change everything from carbon tax amount to afforestation and better diets. Each lever on the simulation comes with an information button to better understand the issue. Here are two ways that you can go about using the En-ROADS model depending on the number of participants:
Suggested for less than 15 participants: Work collectively as a whole group to think of multiple solutions to keep the temperature rise at or below 3.5°F. As people state their suggestions, move the levers and watch the impact on global temperatures. Once you have achieved lower temperatures, move on to the discussion.
Suggested for 15+ participants: Break into smaller groups. Each group will decide one action that they believe will be the most effective at lowering the future global temperature. When participants come back, have each group present their solution. One at a time, show what effect their solution has on global temperature. After each group has participated individually, enter all of their solutions in the simulator at one time to see what the collective change is. Continue brainstorming until the temperature is at or below 3.5°F. Once you have achieved a lower temperature continue on to the discussion.
