MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative

The MIT Climate Pathways Project

Accelerating the adoption of evidence-based climate policy

The urgency to act on climate is real, and it is incumbent on institutions like MIT to provide the best possible scenarios for a future that is safe for humans and nature to thrive.

In order to avoid irreversible harm to our prosperity, society, and health, the world must meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and limit global warming to no more than 1.5-2.0°C from pre-industrial times. The IP PC says this requires greenhouse gas emissions be nearly cut in half by 2030 from 2010 levels + reach "net zero" by midcentury.

All nations must fulfill their commitments – and the complex menu of solutions for doing so can feel overwhelming. Realizing the challenge of getting to an emissions pathway consistent with no more than 2°C (3.6°F) of warming, the Sustainability Initiative, Climate Interactive, the UMass Lowell Climate Change Initiative and Alumnus Michael Sonnenfeldt launched the MIT Climate Pathways Project.

Our goal is to help decision-makers in government, business, and civil society make sense of available solutions with interactive simulations, like En-ROADS (co-developed with Climate Interactive).

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Secretary John Kerry | U.S. Climate Envoy | Former Secretary of State (2013-2017)

En-ROADS is quite simply a climate crisis game-changer for policymakers and people across the country.

En-ROADS is the ideal tool for influencing policy development.

Grounded in the best available science, our simulations encourage exploration of different climate policies, in order to better understand how these actions interact and ultimately have impact in a complex system.

Leaders who have tried it have reacted positively to the experience, and recent research suggests that participation in the simulation leads to several positive outcomes, including increased knowledge of climate change causes, dynamics and impacts, greater feelings of urgency and hope, and a desire to learn and do more about climate change.

Interested in hosting a workshop at your company or organization? Reach out to learn more!