Guide book - Clim City - Cap Sciences

6
The Clim’City® Game
The Clim’City® game is set against the background of “global thinking for local
action”. This virtual environment aims at showing how, in a western industrialised
country like France, one can opt for sustainable life styles, beneficial to Earth and its
inhabitants.
The context
Throughout its history, planet Earth has had natural periods of warming up and cooling
down. However, it has never heated up as quickly as during the 20th century.
The scientists of IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) concluded in their
last report in 2007 that “it is highly likely that Man is responsible for the accelerated
warming observed in the 20th century” The culprits? Greenhouse gases released into
the atmosphere as a result of human activity.
According to different climatic scenarios, scientists predict a global warming factor of between
+1°C and +5°C by 2100. To stabilise this warming at an acceptable level for the planet
(+2°C maximum), global greenhouse gas emissions will have to be halved by 2050.
This means that the industrialised countries will have to divide their emissions by a
factor of 4 so as not to slow down the progress of developing countries.
Clim’City® is a typically western industrialised region. You will therefore find in it features that
are familiar to you from your own surroundings (energy consumption, GHG emissions,
human activities, landscapes).
Aims of the Game
You must devise a climate plan to withstand the current trends in Clim’City®. Indeed, if
you take no action, energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions will increase
year on year. This trend is based on the scenario “nothing is done to combat climate
change”.
This scenario would prevail if Clim’City® were to continue developing along current lines:
over-consumption of energy, enormous use of fossil energies, expansion of road
transport, excessive waste production, intensive agriculture, little use made of renewable
energies, etc.