Download Guide - Clim City

Guide book
Welcome to Clim’City®!
How and why is global warming accelerating? What sort of climate can we expect in
2100? Which human activities are most responsible for greenhouse gas emissions? How
can we reduce these emissions? How does climate change currently affect our ecosystems
and what impact will it have on them in the future? How will mankind be able to adapt to
future climate change?
Are you ready to set off on a journey that will take you into the heart of climate change and
sustainable development? You are? OK! Let’s go!
Some Scientific Reminders
Natural Greenhouse Gases
Because of the heat it receives from the sun’s rays, the Earth radiates heat outwards into
space. If all this heat were to escape the temperature on the surface of our planet would
be about –18°C. However, the atmosphere naturally contains greenhouse gases (GHG):
CO2 (carbon dioxide), CH4 (methane), N2O (nitrous oxide or laughing gas!) and water
vapour. You could say that they act like a sort of “natural blanket” which keeps the Earth
warm. This is known as the natural greenhouse effect.
Additional Greenhouse Effect
Human activity releases CO2, CH4 and N2O to the atmosphere as well as other very harmful GHG developed by man such as fluorine gases. All these gases are added to those that
are naturally present and “thicken the natural blanket”. The Earth therefore becomes warmer. That’s what we call the additional greenhouse effect.
1
Climate Change
The additional greenhouse effect disturbs the climate of the planet, leading to an increase in
average temperature, a change in rainfall patterns, melting of the ice caps, rising sea-levels,
etc.
To limit these changes, the GHG in the atmosphere must be stabilised. To achieve this, scientists
think that global GHG emissions from human activity must be halved by 2050. This will
keep global warming at an acceptable level for the planet and its inhabitants. So as not
to slow down the growth of the poorest developing countries, the industrialised countries,
which are the greatest source of emissions, must divide their GHG emissions by 4 by
2050. This is the 4 Factor.
What are the sources of manmade GHG?
CO2 comes from fossil energy use (coal, oil, natural gas) in electricity power stations,
transport, industry, boilers, etc. Deforestation is also a major source of CO2.
N2O is produced in the main by the chemical industry and the fertilisers used in agriculture.
CH4 comes mainly from the fermentation processes linked to cattle rearing, from rubbish
tips and paddy fields.
Fluorine gases come from cooling systems, air-conditioning and industry.
Fossil Energies
These are coal, oil and natural gas. They contain a lot of carbon. When they are burned
in electricity power stations, in private boilers or in engines, they emit CO2.
Of all the fossil energies, natural gas emits the smallest amount of CO2. According to the
International Energy Agency it may be considered as a transition towards the development
of renewable energies.
In Clim’City® you will find various uses of fossil energies: fossil electricity, fossil heating and
fossil fuels.
Renewable Energies
These need no introduction! The many different renewable energies- wind power, solar energy, geothermic, hydraulic, biomass and tidal – have a great potential for development.
Their main advantages are that they are sustainable, available throughout the planet, cost-free
and above all they have no GHG emissions.
Naturally, they are all there in Clim’City! However, it’s up to you to develop their uses: renewable
electricity, renewable heating and renewable fuels.
2
Technical Characteristics
To use Clim’City® you must have a DVD player and an Internet browser (Explorer, Mozilla,
etc.) correctly installed on your computer
The site is set up for a screen resolution of 1024 by 768. If you want to adjust this on your
machine:
n right-click on the desk-top
n choose “properties” then “settings”
n use the cursor to adjust the resolution to 1024*768
Clim’City® uses Macromedia Flash Player® and Adobe Acrobat Reader® software. If you
do not have these you can get free, legal downloads via the links on the home page.
The Two Modules
Clim’City® is made up of two modules. Each module uses the same virtual environment,
which simplifies interaction and navigation. The “CONTEXT” module gives information. The
“GAME” module simulates reductions in GHG and adaptations to climate change.
The mountain and rural parts of Clim’City®
Clim’City®t town centre and shoreline.
3
The Clim’City® Context
The Clim’City® environment
On the same screen (by using the two blue arrows at the bottom), you will
be able to explore four different types of landscape: mountain, country,
town and coastline. Each landscape has its own sound background.
You will find the different ecosystems (oceans, forests, rivers, etc.) as
well as the different human activities (energy production, industries,
agriculture, fishing, dwellings, means of transport, etc.) relevant to each setting.
Navigating the Site
By clicking on an “item” (car, field, incinerator, etc.) you access the first pop-up. It includes
general information relating to the character of the “item” (transport, energy, buildings, ocean,
etc.) as well as the menus specific to the chosen item. Each menu then has its own submenus.
The main pop-up for the
“climatology” section…
Articles relating to the
greenhouse effect...
Each of these is accompanied by a video-clip: reports, interviews, graphics, maps and animations. More than 300 video-clips in total can be consulted.
You can also use the “direct access” button to consult articles connected to an “item”
without passing through the landscape.
Certain articles allow you to download a file in pdf
format.
4
The chosen article and the video window.
This is the animation on the greenhouse effect.
« Clim’Info »
This menu which you can access via the button at the bottom right of the screen is a resource
centre where you can:
n
download all the video-clips of the site and all the Clim’Files (you can also
access these via the corresponding articles)
n
consult the list of sustainable development trades, glossary, sources (books
and images) as well as credits.
Access to video-clip downloads
Link to the list of sustainable
development trades
5
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.
6
You have 50 game turns (= 50 years) to set up actions that will reduce energy consumption,
develop renewable energies, divide GHG emissions by 4 and adapt Clim’City® to climate
change. These actions will make up your climate plan.
To do this you will have at your disposal three types of “action points ” representing the different
interest groups in Clim’City®: Public Authorities (PA), Enterprises (EP) and Citizens (CP).
Use the counters to follow the number of action points for each playeer
At each turn you will be awarded points automatically.
Objectives
At any time you can check your objectives and the current level in Clim’City®, by clicking
on the “Objectives” button.
The “ Objectives” button is at the bottom right of the screen
With the three gauges you can follow your progress
towards your objectives
“Greenhouse Gases” Objective (GHG)
The distribution and volume of GHG emissions in Clim’City® are based on French statistics.
Likewise, the 2050 reduction objectives are those set for France, i.e. a quarter of these
emissions.
The GHG emissions counter indicates the annual level of emissions in Clim’City®.
The unit used for calculating GHG emissions in Clim’City® is the CO2 equivalent ton
(TeqCO2). In France yearly emissions per inhabitant average approximately 7.5 TeqCO2.
Therefore the initial GHG emissions figure for Clim’City® (865, 456) corresponds to an
urban population of about 115,000 inhabitants.
7
As the game starts in 2008, your aim is to reduce these emissions to 217,000 in 2058. This is a
division by a factor of 4 corresponding to the French objectives (Climate Plan and Factor 4).
The potentials for reduction of GHG emissions of the different actions are based on the
French Climate Plan, the ADEME Carbon balance (Bilan Carbone®) and the
Stabilisation Triangles®.
“Energy” Objectives
The unit used to calculate energy consumptions in Clim’City® is based on the tonne of oil
equivalent (toe).
As in France, an inhabitant of Clim’City® consumes approximately 2.8 toe per year in final energy.
In 2008, total consumption in Clim’City® is 331,907 toe.
The NRG counter indicates Clim’City’s annual energy consumption
The energies consumed in Clim’City® correspond to the proportions recorded in France.
The same is true for the distributions of consumption per activity sector.
The energy objective is based on the “NégaWatt 2006” scenario (www.negawatt.org).
It was developed by an association of the same name with a view to setting up an action
plan to reduce consumptions (- 40%) and at the same time to develop renewable energies
(60% of the energy mix) by 2050.
You will therefore have to guide Clim’City® in 2058 to an energy consumption of 200,000
of which 120,000 is supplied from renewable energies.
“Adaptation” Objective
The climate evolves and even if it were possible to halt GHG emissions forthwith, the
average temperature of the Earth would continue to increase. Indeed, the climate changes
recorded today are the result of the GHG emissions of the last 150 years.
Scientists predict, therefore, that climatic conditions are going to change further in the
course of the 21st century. Man will have to anticipate these changes and adapt
accordingly.
The adaptation objectives and the different climatic chance events are drawn from
the different reports from the French National Observatory of the Effects of Global
Warming (ONERC) and from scientific studies (Météo France, CNRS, INRA,
CEMAGREF).
Action Points
You have three types of action points at your disposal: Public Authorities (PA), Enterprise
(EP) and Citizens (CP).
They represent the capability for action of each group. These points encompass both
financial and behavioural aspects.
Points are automatically distributed to you at each turn in the game.
8
Actions
To reach the game objectives you will have to select and coordinate the best possible series
of actions. The goal is not to carry out all the actions but rather to be selective. There is a
logical way of approaching the task and it’s up to you to find it! Taken as a whole, the actions
you choose will constitute your climate plan.
Status
There are four different categories of action:
Action feasible:
Action in progress:
Action completed
Conditional:
Not enough points
Action superseded:
you can begin this action straightaway.
you have started the action but it will take several turns of the game
other actions must be set up before this one
either you have already set up more effective actions or this action
is no longer worthwhile.
Cost
Each action will cost you a certain number of points. According to the type of action, you
will have to use one or more types of points (public authorities, enterprises, citizens). The
number of points required for the implementation of an action corresponds both to its
financial cost and to the change of behaviour involved.
Effects
Actions have a greater or lesser impact on GHG emissions, on energy consumption, on
energy production and on adaptation in Clim’City®. Certain actions also free up
the possibility of carrying out others.
The “Effects” section gives you information on the type of impact the action will have
(fossil heating consumption, renewable electricity production, etc.) and on the time
required for it to take effect.
Actions have two different types of effect:
“immediate” : direct impact on energy consumptions and GHG emissions
“trend”: reduction or increase of the item’s annual trend to consume more
energy and to release more GHG. The trend effect mirrors the impact of the
action over time.
With this double approach, the game is very close to reality. The trend modification effect
simulates the inertia of the action over time.
9
Dwelling example:
This is the first pop-up which opens after a
“dwelling” item has been chosen: problem,
statistics and available actions.
Stats close-up. You can check the quantity and type of energy consumed
by dwellings (electricity and heating) and the resulting greenhouse gases
(GHG).
One can see that heating consumption will increase by 0.627% in the
following turn (in 2009) compared with its current level (in 2008).
The “Other GHG” do not come from energy use.
The text relating to the item explains its problem.
10
Here the player chooses the action “Renovation
and insulation of dwellings”
Close-up on the figures for the action. It costs 10 Public Authority points and
12 Citizen points.
It reduces both:
- heating consumption in dwellings by - 2600 over 10 game turns
-the annual trend increase by –0.05%
It also has an effect on the adaptation of dwellings. Better insulation equips
dwellings to better withstand heat waves.
One might say that this action has a triple effect: immediate + trend on heating consumption in dwellings and it contributes to
the adaptation of Clim’City.
The player decides to carry out the action.
The status of the action becomes ” Action
in progress” because it will take 10 turns
to complete it.
Clim’Stats
These can be accessed using the button at the bottom right of the screen. This is your
game instrument panel. Here you will be able to follow the development of energy
consumption and GHG emissions in Clim’City®.
They will enable you to see the impact of your actions on all activities in Clim’City® (buildings,
industries, agriculture, waste, transport) as well as on each item of the environment (university,
dwellings, cars, agricultural machinery, fields, industries, etc.).
11
You can follow the development
of energy consumption in
Clim’City®. This table shows the
distribution by energy type. Here,
the player has slightly reduced
energy consumption over 7 years
and has developed renewable
electricity and heating production.
The statistics per activity sector
show you where you must prioritise
your actions. Here GHG emissions
from buildings and industries
have been reduced. However, the
transport sector has not been
addressed!
You can also follow the trend of
different “items” in the environment
by clicking on “other items”
12
“Dwelling” statistics show that
the action taken has reduced GHG
linked to fossil heating and electricity
consumption.
Your Climate Plan
At the end of the game your climate plan draws up a list of all the actions taken per year
and per item and goes back over the general details for Clim’City® (how GHG sources and
energy consumptions have changed).
You can print it out and see the impact year by year of your different actions on GHG emissions
and energy consumption.
With the Web version (http://climcity.cap-sciences.net) you can see your results on line and
compare your climate plan with that of other players. A league-table showing the best
results will help you see how well you have done!
Saving
You can save your game at any stage. If you are playing on the Cap Sciences Internet Site
saving will be done directly on line. Can can create a clim’city account (login+password).
You can save your games, publish then, acces to the resaults of other players and leave
comments. If you are playing the DVD game, you can’t save.
Teacher’s Notes
If you are a teacher, group leader or tutor, you can download teaching notes from the Cap
Sciences Site. These will help you enhance your use of Clim’City® in the classroom..