"Using the En-ROADS Simulator to Structure Conversations about Climate Change"
Many people have a favorite "quick fix" solution for climate change: plant more trees, invest in nuclear power, tax carbon emissions, use natural gas. Which of these solutions is right? Are any of them sufficient to mitigate climate change? The challenge can feel overwhelming and it is easy to feel like we do not have enough information to know what to do. The En-ROADS climate simulator helps to level that playing field. The interface is easy to use, with sliders that adjust the use of oil, gas, electric energy and renewables. Behind these sliders, thousands of non-linear differential equations are employed to calculate the change in GHG Emissions and the resulting impact on global temperature. With En-ROADS, you can investigate how policy actions can mitigate climate change on rapid timescales. This session will introduce the simulator and discuss how it was used in an empowering group project as part of a freshman astronomy seminar at Yale.
