Climate Interactive is an environmentalist think tank focused on climate simulation models and interactive workshops, in order to provide education on climate change policy. 1 It is a project of the New Venture Fund, a funding and fiscal sponsorship nonprofit managed by the left-leaning consulting firm Arabella Advisors. 2
Established in 2010, Climate Interactive grew out of the MIT Sloan School of Management. 3 The climate-based simulation models created by Climate Interactive include En-ROADS, C-ROADS, and ALPS. 4 These models are paired with interactive workshops and role-playing games. 5
Climate Interactive enlists “ambassadors” who have gone through its En-ROADS Training Program, in order to more widely promote its simulation models. 6
On August 2, 2023, a Washington Post article claimed that climate scientists are skeptical about tree-planting programs in reducing carbon emissions. The author quotes an analysis by MIT professor John Sterman, and Climate Interactive executive director Andrew P. Jones, which claims that “planting a trillion trees would prevent 0.15 degrees Celsius (0.27 Fahrenheit) of warming by 2100.” 7
Activities
Climate Interactive is an environmentalist think thank, founded by Elizabeth Sawin and Andrew P. Jones in 2010, that grew out of the MIT Sloan School of Management. The group creates simulation models, frameworks, and interactive workshops as educational tools to develop climate change policies. 8
Simulation Models
Climate Interactive has designed numerous simulation models, which include En-ROADS, focused on policies to limit climate change; C-ROADS, focused on reducing greenhouse gases; and ALPS, focused on agricultural practices. 9
Workshops and Games
Each of Climate Interactive’s simulation models has a complimentary role-playing game, which includes Climate Action Simulation, World Climate Simulation, and Agritopia. En-ROADS is accompanied by an interactive Climate Workshop. 10
En-ROADS Ambassadors
Climate Interactive currently has 138 “ambassadors” who have gone through its En-ROADS Training Program. 11 Ambassadors facilitate international events, where they lead the En-ROADS Climate Workshop and the Climate Action Simulation. 12
Funding
Climate Interactive is funded by organizations and individuals. Notable donations from environmentalist-aligned foundations include $415,000 from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund between 2015 and 2019,13 $650,000 from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation between 2015 and 2019,14 and $710,000 from the Surdna Foundation between 2017 and 2019. 15
People
Elizabeth Sawin is a co-founder and co-Director of Climate Interactive. Sawin coined the neologism “multisolving” to describe policies to reduce climate change while simultaneously achieving other left-progressive policy aims16 and has published pieces concerning climate change and multisolving in publications like Non-Profit Quarterly, U.S. News and World Report, the Daily Climate, and System Dynamics Review. Sawin is a member of the Council on the Uncertain Human Future and the sits on the advisory board of the Climate Change Health and Equity Program at the Kresge Foundation. 17
Andrew P. Jones is a co-founder and co-director of Climate Interactive where he leads the team that developed C-ROADS and En-ROADS. Jones formerly worked at Rocky Mountain Institute and Sustainability Institute. 18
Linda Cheung is a climate program associate. In 2016, Cheung founded Before It’s Too Late (BITL), a nonprofit that uses art and technology to address climate change. 19
Ellie Johnston is a climate and energy lead and sits on the Board of Directors of SustainUS, an organization that she formerly led. 20
Chris Page is a business partnerships consultant and previously worked at Rocky Mountain Institute, a Colorado-based environmentalist think tank. Page is the former Climate Director for the City of Seattle, former director of energy and environment at Amazon, and former Global Director of Energy and Sustainability Strategy at Yahoo!. 21
Yasmeen Zahar is a climate and energy program associate, and has previously worked for several environmentalist advocacy groups, including Climate Action Campaign, U.S. Climate Plan, and Climate Reality Project. 22
References
- “About.” Climate Interactive. Accessed May 20, 2020. https://www.climateinteractive.org/about/.
- “New Venture Fund: For Climate Interactive’s En-ROADS Project.” William + Flora Hewlett Foundation. Accessed March 12, 2020. https://hewlett.org/grants/new-venture-fund-for-climate-interactives-en-roads-project/.
- “About.” Climate Interactive. Accessed May 20, 2020. https://www.climateinteractive.org/about/.
- “Simulation Models.” Climate Interactive. Accessed May 20, 2020. https://www.climateinteractive.org/tools/#simulations.
- “Workshops & Games.” Climate Interactive. Accessed May 20, 2020. https://www.climateinteractive.org/tools/#games-workshops.
- “En-ROADS Climate Ambassadors.” Climate Interactive. Accessed May 20, 2020. https://www.climateinteractive.org/tools/en-roads/climate-ambassadors/.
- Joselow, Maxine. “Republicans want to plant a trillion trees. Scientists are skeptical.” Washington Post, August 2, 2023. https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/08/02/trillion-trees-republicans-climate/
- “About.” Climate Interactive. Accessed May 20, 2020. https://www.climateinteractive.org/about/.
- “Simulation Models.” Climate Interactive. Accessed May 20, 2020. https://www.climateinteractive.org/tools/#simulations.
- “Workshops & Games.” Climate Interactive. Accessed May 20, 2020. https://www.climateinteractive.org/tools/#games-workshops.
- “En-ROADS Climate Ambassadors.” Climate Interactive. Accessed May 20, 2020. https://www.climateinteractive.org/tools/en-roads/climate-ambassadors/.
- “En-ROADS Climate Ambassador Program.” Climate Interactive. Accessed May 20, 2020. https://www.climateinteractive.org/tools/en-roads/en-roads-ambassador-program/.
- “Grants Database: Climate Interactive.” Rockefeller Brothers Fund, 2020. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://www.rbf.org/grants-search?search_api_views_fulltext=climate+interactive.
- “Grants: New Venture Fund.” William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, 2020. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://hewlett.org/grants/?keyword=new%20venture%20fund&sort=relevance¤t_page=1.
- “Grants Database: Climate Interactive.” Surdna Foundation, 2020. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://surdna.org/grants-database/?program_id=1&sub_program_id=all&grantsYear=all&sort_column=board_meeting_date&grantsSearch=climate+interactive.
- “What Is Multisolving?” Climate Interactive, July 4, 2019. https://www.climateinteractive.org/ci-topics/multisolving/what-is-multisolving/.
- “Elizabeth Sawin.” Climate Interactive, 2020. Accessed May 9, 2020. https://www.climateinteractive.org/about/staff/elizabeth-sawin/.
- “Andrew P. Jones.” Climate Interactive, 2020. Accessed May 9, 2020. https://www.climateinteractive.org/about/staff/andrew-p-jones/.
- “Linda Cheung.” Climate Interactive, 2020. Accessed May 9, 2020. https://www.climateinteractive.org/about/staff/linda-cheung/.
- “Ellie Johnston.” Climate Interactive, 2020. Accessed May 9, 2020. https://www.climateinteractive.org/about/staff/ellie-johnston-2/.
- “Chris Page.” Climate Interactive, 2020. Accessed May 9, 2020. https://www.climateinteractive.org/about/staff/chris-page/.
- “Yasmeen Zahar.” LinkedIn, 2020. Accessed May 9, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/yasmeen-zahar-867b3976/.