Forget poker! There is already a card game on climate change

Constantly encountering news about climate change can be not only discouraging, but also confusing. Although, in essence, the point of origin of the climate crisis is the rise in global temperature, it involves several chain reactions, as well as technical, economic and social concepts that not everyone is familiar with. 

Photo courtesy of Climate Fresk

So how do you get people to understand the dimensions of climate change without being overwhelmed? A French organization has found a way: a card game, called Climate Fresk, in which people can learn about the main ideas of climate change and do it collaboratively in just three hours. 

"It's a game for all ages and all types of groups," says Sheila Suarez de Flores, facilitator and coordinator of Climate Fresk in the United States. 

While the cards briefly describe key concepts such as what is agriculture, carbon dioxide (CO2), high temperatures or climate refugees, the idea is that there is a facilitator who helps to resolve doubts and asks participants to explain the new concepts in their own words. In other words, in addition to a card game, Climate Fresk is also a kind of workshop. 

As explained by the Sustainability Exchange portal , part of the game is for people to arrange the 42 cards in sequence, indicating what the causes and consequences of a problem are and how they relate to each other. Climate Fresk can even be played on a board or on a large sheet of paper for participants to draw lines and diagrams between the concepts. In the end, they have their own artwork with climate concepts. 

"They can decorate it and, if they choose, move from reason to heart by talking about their emotions and what they have learned," de Flores also clarifies. 

So far, nearly half a million people have played in person or online. Moreover, as Climate Fresk's website indicates, the game has already reached 50 countries, has been translated into 35 languages and has involved 17,000 volunteers and more than 400,000 participants. They even expect to reach more than 1 million players by the end of 2022. 

To achieve this, Climate Fresk has a Creative Commons "BY-NC-ND" license, which, in other words, indicates that it can be used freely as long as it is not for commercial or for-profit purposes. "Use is also free within an educational environment, whether in a primary or secondary school or in an institute of higher education. Thus, teachers can use Climate Fresk in their professional context, during their working hours," the game's website states. 

"It's about a group bonding experience, a cathartic experience," adds de Flores. "It's about creating a safe space for these climate conversations that we know are so important," is how he describes the mission of this game.

Note: This story was developed in collaboration with Yale Climate Connections and is based on the original capsule: Almost half a million people have played this climate change card game.