Recording

Organizers

This event was hosted by The Long Game, RevolutionLove, Centre for Research on Sustainable Societal Transformation, Karlstad University, International Association for the Advancement of Innovative Technologies, Climate Change Initiative UMass Lowell, Henkel

Background

Individuals, particularly young generations, understandably feel overwhelmed and helpless to take meaningful action even when they are well-informed about the causes and effects of these global changes. This is further triggered by current climate education of which the learning approaches are brain heavy, overwhelming the learner with factual knowledge and leaving them with a sense of powerlessness and hopelessness. 

Recent research findings suggest that simulation games that motivate real-world climate action at the “climate action sweet-spot,” or scale at which collective action can be triggered with minimum intervention. In this session, we will share research on the impact of gamifying climate education on triggering action at scale, creating self-efficacy and initiating “Active Hope”. 

We enabled decision support for students, business leaders, and policymakers using the World Climate and Climate Action Simulations and "The Long Game," an app explicitly designed to foster gaming around climate education and self-efficacy. Participants experienced interactive demos of climate games developed by our teams and learned about their impact through research and case studies in different regions of the world. Finally, we facilitated a discussion about how climate education in schools can be translated into real-world climate action by communities. Our team also developed a tool, i.e., "WorldPop," to map these communities, translating education into action, building agency, and supporting scaling through collective action. 

Objectives

• To present the concept of "The Long Game" to global Education, Climate Action and Sustainable Development communities. 

• To facilitate the emergence of a global movement for action through impact and digital technology-oriented climate education that will eventually empower climate action. 

Structure

This event started with two lightning talks by experienced researchers and science communicators, who revealed the climate action sweet spot and the value of gamifying climate education at schools. A demonstration of such a game for climate education followed along with sharing the first-hand experience of using this game by representatives of primary schools at two contrasting regions (preliminarily New York City and Armenia). The participants then co-created solutions with the audience for transferring climate education from schools to communities to create agency and boost collective action. This was done through an audience survey via menti.com and open experience sharing from the audience. The event also briefly introduced our "WorldPop" tool for mapping energy communities around the world where we could penetrate through the schools.

Speakers 

Moderator

Dr. Avit Bhowmik, Centre for Research on Sustainable Societal Transformation, Karlstad University 

Key Outcomes

• Emphasized the vital role of capacity-building for rapid climate action, with a focus on vulnerable communities and a special emphasis on empowering women and youth.

• Highlighted innovative approaches such as climate education through gamification and collaborative simulations to instill urgency and self-efficacy, particularly among the youth.

• Underscored the importance of digital technologies and AI, especially among the youth, as powerful tools to motivate and accelerate global real-world climate action, emphasizing the need for transparent and informed tech solutions to enhance impact and traceability.

Resources

The Long Game presentation slides

The Long Game - KauPlay

Real Labs:

Swayong:

Code Red: