Planetary boundaries and social dynamics of decarbonization

ClimateTimeMachine – Time Travel Into the Climate Future

We invite you to travel in time to the future of the climate on planet earth with the science-based online simulation app ClimateTimeMachine by SCIARA (Society – Climate Interaction Analysis with Real Agents).
ClimateTimeMachine directly simulates the climate and cost impacts of our everyday choices and vividly depicts the consequences. It motivates participants to act for climate protection.

Goal

ClimateTimeMachine contributes to effective climate protection and aims to speed up the shift away from fossil to renewable energy. The ClimateTimeMachine community strengthens the acceptance, the support and the demand for climate protection.
Sciara has been developing this science-based online simulation since 2020 and conducted climate time travels with thousands of participants.

How to travel into the climate future

Based on your own values and needs you will simulate your future life in time-lapse mode.
How will you live, be mobile, eat and consume? What policies and structural measures will you support, which will you reject? How can you yourself influence the transformation to a safe climate future? How do you want to communicate, exchange views and mobilize like-minded folks?
Can you and your fellow time travelers stop or soften the climate crisis? And how does that change your own life?
ClimateTimeMachine calculates how your choices influence the climate, your enviromment and your financial situation.
All simulated changes of the climate and the environment in ClimateTimeMachine are based on scientific models which were provided by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and other research institutions. These models and underlying data are public.

How does the time travel work?

The time travel takes place on the ClimateTimeMachine web app and an accompanying 3 hour workshop on the online conference tool Webex.
Participants quickly create their own account on the ClimateTimeMachine app and log in after an introduction at the workshop. The time travel starts with a climate simulation of the year 2100 based on the current emissions pathway.
After an explanation about the functions of ClimateTimeMachine app, everyone sets up their lifestyle configurations.
From there on, the integrated climate model calculates the influence of the participants’ life choices on the emissions of climate gases. At any time, participants can adapt their simulated lifestyle to the visualized changes in the world.

Participants discuss (live and in the chat) about the conditions on the simulated future earth and possible individual and societal measures to mitigate that condition.
The workshop provides space to share about personal values, needs and limits. The simulation allows to experience the effects of each participant’s choices and to see the consequences for the climate, environment and costs of living on earth.

At any time, the simulation can be set on hold for questions, support and input by the participants.
The workshop and time travel conclude with deliberations on the simulated climate change and a round for feedback.

We are looking forward to lively discussions.

[MC]

In 2019, SCIARA ideator and co-founder Daniel Tamberg reflected, after nearly 30 years in the IT industry, on how he could use his knowledge and skills to do something even more meaningful with his life.
He recalled the almost decade-old observation he had had after reading the classic book “Limits to Growth”: In scientific models of climate and economics, people appear only as formulas and algorithms. What if instead scientific models of the natural and technical environment were brought together with real people as in a simulation game?
He contacted two scientists from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) who work in the field of so-called agent-based systems. They saw the potential directly. Together they also convinced Johan Rockström, one of the institute’s directors, to let PIK accompany the project.

Sciara is being advised and supported by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), the German Federal Foundation for the Environment (DBU) and the German Society of the Club of Rome.