Climate Cabinet Simulation Game - A Contribution to Education for Sustainable Development

From October 2019 to April 2021, a project team from ZEW and the Climate Foundation for Citizens Sinsheim developed the climate policy simulation game "Climate Cabinet". Based on scientific findings from the BMBF funding priority "Economics of Climate Change II", the simulation game vividly and playfully simulates climate policy decision-making processes. Like the real Climate Cabinet, the simulation game Climate Cabinet starts with the challenge of reducing the Federal Republic of Germany's CO₂ emissions in such a way that the contractual obligations towards the Paris Climate Agreement and the European partners can be met. In the game, the work of the climate cabinet is simulated and the complex negotiation processes are reproduced. The simulation game thus offers the opportunity to deal with current developments and challenges, to learn about possible options for action and to understand national decision-making processes and structures.

The simulation game was officially presented at a festive event and incorporated into the educational programme of the extracurricular learning venue "Climate Arena". Pupils reported on their experiences with the learning materials and the members of the project team gave an exclusive insight into the development of the simulation game.