Interactive climate modeling strengthened leaders’ knowledge and motivation

What happened

A peer-reviewed evaluation of 37 En-ROADS workshops surveyed 949 decision-makers and found significant pre-to-post gains in climate-solutions knowledge, personal relevance, and empowerment among participants with matched responses. Forty-two later interviews also described learning and stronger motivation to act.

Why it matters

Interactive models can help leaders understand how climate policies work together, but this study does not show that the workshops caused adopted policies or measured emissions cuts. Participants were self-selected, only about one-third had matched surveys, and the sample was mostly U.S.-based and entirely from the Global North.

What to watch

• Randomized or comparison-group studies with more participants outside the United States and Global North.
• Objective evidence that workshop learning translates into organizational decisions, implemented policy, and measurable outcomes.

Sources & evidence

• Interactive simulation with En-ROADS spurs climate action among decision-makersPeer-reviewed Article, npj Climate Action (2026), from UMass Lowell, Climate Interactive, Reutlingen University, and MIT Sloan. Published March 21, 2026. Mixed-methods workshop evaluation; self-reported knowledge and motivation are not verified policy or emissions outcomes.
• En-ROADS decision-maker study datasetStudy data deposited on Figshare by the research team.

Topics

• Climate Education
• Decision Support
• En-ROADS
• Policy Simulation