Game makes climate negotiations tangible
The global climate is in danger - the USA is focussing on "black" factories that emit a lot of carbon dioxide and thus accelerate global warming. Europe is wavering between "green" and "black" growth - should more be invested in green technologies or is this too expensive for society? Developing countries are focussing on protective measures - they need to adapt their agriculture and cities to more frequent weather disasters. Emerging economies are expanding their "black" industries, but at the same time researching alternative energy technologies.
What sounds almost real is actually a game: KEEP COOL, which was developed by Oldenburg environmental economist Klaus Eisenack and is now being relaunched. KEEP COOL aims to make global climate change, and international climate negotiations in particular, tangible. "The UN Climate Change Conference in Warsaw at the end of November showed us once again how difficult it is for the global community to develop global solutions to deal with climate change, despite all the knowledge available. This is reflected in KEEP COOL: the relevance of the topic, the different interests and the tough negotiations," says Eisenack.
KEEP COOL is educational and very entertaining at the same time - it is popular in educational and environmental institutions, especially schools and universities, and Eisenack also uses it for his own teaching. The game is based on interdisciplinary research into climate change, climate protection and sustainable development. Since the 1980s, several working groups at the University of Oldenburg have been conducting scientific research into these topics.
------------------------------
Public events with KEEP COOL:
- KEEP COOL Release Party, 9 December, 6 p.m., BIS Hall, University of Oldenburg
- Lecture on the UN Climate Change Conference in Warsaw and KEEP COOL (Prof. Dr Klaus Eisenack), 16 December, 7.30 pm, The Smart House Oldenburg
- KEEP COOL games event: "Putting the climate at risk", 18 January 2014, 2.00 pm (students), 5.00 pm (public), The Smart House Oldenburg
