Globally, 70 % of greenhouse gases come from cities. So they can and must make an important contribution in the fight against climate change. This is what our Senaryon-based simulation game "Climate Neutral City" is about, which we developed on behalf of the Goethe-Institut. 

The exciting thing about this simulation game: Through Senaryon, the players see directly how their climate plan for the fictitious city of Fonta affects greenhouse gas emissions and other indicators such as jobs or energy costs. There are options to choose from, such as expanding cycle paths, switching the energy supply to renewables or greening the city. The measures adopted appear on the interactive city map, which changes from round to round. 

So far, the simulation game has been used in two project rounds, mainly at schools abroad, in cooperation with the Goethe Institutes in the respective countries - from the Czech Republic to India. The simulation runs via our platform Senaryon and is carried out independently by the participating teachers in the respective national language, with the help of local Goethe-Institut staff. The simulation is digital, played mostly on site and sometimes online. We call the on-site implementation with Senaryon "Plus" because Senaryon adds a digital layer to the classic on-site setting. However, a purely online implementation is always possible. 

The special potential of Senaryon lies in the possibility of designing simulation games that are not purely text-based. Of course, there is also oral negotiation in the simulation game "Climate Neutral City". In addition, however, the software directly reflects to the participants the effects of their decisions on the future of "their" city. How does the expansion of cycle paths affect CO2 emissions? What is the benefit of building a new underground railway or shutting down the coal-fired power plant? What social effects does the path to climate neutrality have? These and many other questions are measured using important indicators that are constantly updated in the game. The effects are visualised in an interactive map that illustrates the decisions made and shows what the climate-neutral city could look like at the end of the game. 

Further information on Senaryon at www.senaryon.com, on the Climate Neutral City project on the Goethe Institute website.