Play the Stabilization Wedges Game

Pretend you are a policy maker and your job is to save the world by keeping carbon emissions flat over the next 50 years. You must act quickly to implement low-carbon energy technologies and enhance natural carbon sinks. The Stabilization Wedges game demonstrates the size of the emissions reductions that are needed to flatten carbon emissions for the next 50 years.


From the Game Introduction

The core purpose of this game is to convey the scale of effort needed to address the carbon and climate situation and the necessity of developing a portfolio of options. By the end of the exercise, students should understand the magnitude of human- sourced carbon emissions and feel comfortable comparing the effectiveness, benefits, and drawbacks of a variety of carbon-cutting strategies.

For a quick introduction to the Stabilization Wedges game, view this flash movie on the site of Princeton Environmental Institute.


Listen to the National Public Radio broadcast, Climate Game Gives Real Options to Save World. Will launch a new window.

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Teacher Alert

Starting on page 9 of the game (PDF), there is a lesson plan for using this game in the classroom to teach to National Science Content Standards:
• Systems, Order and Organization
• Science as Inquiry
• Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
---Natural and Human Induced Hazards
---Environmental Quality

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Tags: stabilization wedges game, national science content, lesson plan