You don’t need to know much climate science to start using En-ROADS. The primary climate science to understand is that we need to lower greenhouse gas net emissions in order to lower temperature. Participants in En-ROADS events may begin the event with very little knowledge about climate change. If you are a facilitator or guiding people through using En-ROADS, it is helpful to learn about the 18 En-ROADS sliders and key system dynamics. We recommend taking the En-ROADS training to understand more about the model and its dynamics.
We also recommend you read through our En-ROADS User Guide. Within the simulator, the User Guide section for each slider can also be accessed by clicking the three dots next to the slider, which opens the advanced settings. Then click the i icon on the right-hand side, which will open the User Guide section for that slider.
For further reading, we recommend:
Basics
- Climate 101 with Bill Nye "The Science Guy" and National Geographic (4-minute video)
- MIT Climate Primer
Advanced
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment Report 6 (AR6) Physical Science Summary for Policymakers (2021): the newest IPCC report on the most up-to-date physical understanding of the climate system and climate change.
- IPCC AR6 Impacts, Adaptation, & Vulnerability Summary for Policymakers (2022): the newest IPCC report on the effects of climate change on humans, ecosystems, and biodiversity.
- IPCC AR6 Mitigation of Climate Change Summary for Policymakers (2022): the newest IPCC report on the potential of different methods for addressing climate change (what En-ROADS focuses on!)
- IPCC Special Report (2018): a summary for policymakers on the impacts associated specifically with global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels
- Executive Summary of the US National Climate Assessment (for US audiences): an in-depth report on the present and future impacts of climate change in the United States
- Carbon Removal: a general background on carbon removal technologies