Interesting Information

Our world as we know it is undergoing change and upheaval. Climate crisis predictions are becoming increasingly alarming and are now impacting our immediate living environments, manifesting themselves in extreme weather situations (heatwaves, storms, fires, floods) across the globe. Our current economic practices are causing major challenges, resulting in a multi-layered crisis that is leaving a mark on the environment, economy, globalisation and our society, and directly affects the ecosystems of nature, humanity, and animals in many ways. It is precisely because of human influence on geological, biological, and atmospheric processes that ecological crises such as climate change, species extinction, overexploitation of natural resources, and pollution are now clearly emerging, with many future impacts still uncertain (Novy et al. 2020).

It is already evident that the climate change happening today is threatening to become a climate catastrophe. This is a global challenge that affects us all. Awareness of the problem is particularly widespread among children and young people, but this is accompanied by anxiety and a sense of powerlessness. Two-thirds of adolescents and young adults are anxious about the future because of climate change (Hickman et al., 2021). More than 80% of Austrian young people would like more information and support and 62% believe that climate and environmental protection is still not being discussed enough at school.  57% would like to do more but don’t know how (Rohrer et al. 2020).

Together We Can Face the Challenges of Our Time Head-On

The World Climate Game facilitates the understanding of the complex climate crisis through game play. It uses experiential learning to convey the vast and complex interrelationships of a globally interconnected world. Young people learn through play to understand a world defined by interdependencies. They discover which conflicts of interest play a role and learn that they can only meet the challenges of our time through co-operation and co-creativity. As they go along, solution strategies are systematically revealed.

The World Climate Game based on the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) climate reports.

The gaming experience has an educational and awareness-building effect on the young players while simultaneously contributing to their confidence and ability to take action by creating a sustainable world situation. After successfully solving the world’s problems through play, they share the experience: together we can face the challenges of our time head-on.