Interactive Tool Empowers Students to Model Climate Change Scenarios
PARIS – A new educational activity utilizing the SimClimat modeling tool is offering students a hands-on approach to understanding climate dynamics and the impact of human choices on future climate scenarios.Developed by OCE (Observatoire des Changements Environnementaux), the program aims to bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and societal understanding of climate change.
The activity, designed for high school students in Earth and Environmental Sciences, Physics, and Geography, unfolds across one or two 90-minute sessions. It employs interactive modeling, scenario analysis, and group discussions to foster a deeper comprehension of complex climate systems.
Students begin by exploring the SimClimat software,learning how emissions and energy use correlate with greenhouse gas concentrations and resulting climate responses. They then test different scenarios – from “business as usual” to strong mitigation efforts – interpreting the results through graphs and maps.
A second session focuses on simulating the impact of political choices, international agreements, energy transitions, and demographic changes. Groups then present their findings, compare outcomes, and debate the role of human agency in shaping the future climate.
Learning objectives include understanding the role of numerical models, manipulating simulation parameters, comparing emissions pathways, interpreting climate projections (temperature, CO2 concentration, sea level rise), and critically evaluating the links between science, policy, and societal choices.
OCE highlights the activity’s key benefits: its interactive and intuitive interface, its grounding in real climate science while remaining accessible, its promotion of inquiry-based learning, its societal relevance in connecting science to civic education, and its alignment with existing high school curricula on climate science, environmental issues, and sustainable progress.
