New climate service: The Climate Adaptation Game

The Climate Adaptation Game is now available to play for free at SMHI’s webpage. The game aims to develop better understanding for the effects of climate change, and how to meet the challenges it brings. The game can be used in education for sustainable development, or in various contexts within climate change adaptation.

Climate adaptation game logo

In the Climate Adaptation Game, you adapt the city of Weatherton to climate change. Extreme weather events like heat waves and heavy rain pose challenges which calls for decision making in the game. You will for example be asked to save the hospital from flooding, and to increase the robustness of the agriculture in case of droughts.

– The player, who acts as the climate adaptation co-ordinator of Weatherton, encounters seven different climate related challenges in the game. However, apart from adapting the city to climate change, the player also needs to keep the citizens happy, the city’s economy in shape, and simultaneously reach the sustainable development goals, says Pontus Wallin, SMHI.

Roleplay for groups and classes

It is possible to play the game as a single player, or to share a computer and take decisions together. There is also the possibility to have a workshop, including a roleplay with a larger group. The workshop leader divides the participants into seven already prepared interest groups, such as the Agricultural Society and the Business and Trade Association. These groups will then act and interact in their own interest, but through voting take united decisions with the other groups. A workshop normally takes 90-120 minutes. All necessary workshop material and a guide on how to do it, is available along with the game.

– The game has been developed by SMHI together with high school teachers. This has increased the pedagogical aspects of the game - the roleplay material is focused on discussion and learning. We made it a whole package instead of just a game, to make the threshold lower for using it within education, says Aino Krunegård, SMHI.

Available online - for free

The game is easy to play and is available for everyone, for free, at SMHI’s webpage. All workshop material, including a readymade presentation, voting papers, and a workshop guide, is also available for free.