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In the World Climate Exercise, students play roles of a delegates of various nation, negotiating a path to reducing greenhouse emissions. |
ALBANY, N.Y. (November 16, 2016) — Whether or not climate change is a natural event or man-made, how do we find pathways to limit temperature change and its effects?
The World Climate Exercise, coming to campus on Monday, seeks to find out by bringing the best available science to bear on the question, while letting participants see the results of current and future choices in real-time. Students from all majors and backgrounds are welcome to attend from 5:45 to 8:45 p.m. in Room 151 of the Massry Center for Business.
“The exercise is part-role play, part-learning activity, and always engaging,” said Eliot Rich, associate professor in Information Technology Management. Rich will serve as facilitator for what is essentially a simplified international climate change negotiations meeting. He serves as a United Nations leader, while each participant plays the role of a delegate representing a specific nation, negotiating bloc, or, in some cases, an interest group
The key element of the exercise is C-ROADS, a computer simulation out of MIT and the not-for-profit D.C.-based organization Climate Interactive. It’s used by change leaders in Ghana, Ethiopia, UK, Kenya, Nigeria, France and the United States to put audiences in the shoes of negotiators who are working to create an ambitious plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
C-ROADS has become part of the real-world climate negotiation process and, according to chief U.S. climate negotiator Jonathan Pershing, "is based on sound science.” Among those who have employed it are the Chinese climate negotiation team and the Dalai Lama.
Rich organized the World Climate Exercise with help from the UAlbany System Dynamics Group and the Center for Advancement and Understanding of Social Enterprises in the School of Business.
To ensure that organizers have enough space, participants should sign up via a Doodle poll at http://doodle.com/poll/wg98tam4mcpuaq2t.
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