Climate change is a topic of direct social relevance, but its communication is fraught with difficulties. Technically correct language can be dense and off-putting, whereas many of the catchy oversimplifications used to popularize climate change science are not strictly correct and can lead to misleading inferences. Innovative communication approaches are therefore required to facilitate enhanced understanding of climate change. This is particularly the case in the context of topics such as “negative carbon emissions” where social perceptions are a critical component of the environmental challenge. “The Earth Game” is a board game we have developed to help players understand the magnitude of the climate change challenge, the practical usefulness of different mitigation or CO₂ reduction pathways, and the socioeconomic reality of balancing environmentally beneficial policy decisions with other economic factors. After multiple rounds of development with high-school and university students in different BSc subjects, the game product presents a delicate balance between complexity, enjoyment and successful achievement of teaching objectives.
Designed for small groups of players aged 12+, The Earth Game makes players work as a team to manage the economic transition to carbon neutrality. Teams win if CO₂ emissions fall by >75% before 2050, but lose if the economy shrinks or public finances are bankrupt. Players have a full range of legislative options available to achieve net CO₂ emission reductions, including options to decarbonize economic sectors, enhance carbon sinks, engage the private sector, and enact policies to tax CO₂ emitters. Game play is visualized at the city level with play taking about 2 hours. The game is therefore not only a successful outreach tool, gaming results can also address fundamental research problems concerning the socioeconomic reality of achieving carbon neutrality. For example, negative carbon emissions are often promoted as a technical ‘climate solution’, but critics are wary of the psychological effect of their deployment; otherwise known as the ‘moral hazard effect’. The moral hazard effect notes that if policy makers and the public believe that negative carbon emissions are a climate solution, they may relax efforts to cut CO₂ emissions. Gaming results to date indeed suggest that negative carbon emissions of any kind are not useful as policies to reduce net CO₂ emissions. There is a significant correlation between total simulated CO₂ emissions to 2050 and the extent to which players believe negative carbon emissions can be used to achieve carbon neutrality.

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