Climate Fresk is a serious game about climate change that builds on collective intelligence. It is based on the IPCC* reports, the most global scientific consensus on climate change. The Climate Fresk movement has now reached more than 1.5 million participants worldwide, contributing to global awareness and to the promotion of climate action for everyone.
„Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.“ – Nelson Mandela
During a 3-hour Climate Fresk workshop, 5 to 8 participants work together to lay out 42 cards on a table, articulating the causes and consequences of climate science fundamentals. Guided by a facilitator, they then take the time to acknowledge their emotions – a key trigger for action – and to explore their own potential for positive impact, at individual level or through the organisation to which they belong, before leaving with an uplifting ambition to contribute to change !
Bringing together citizens in all their diversity, Climate Fresk has demonstrated its scalability since its launch in December 2018, celebrating a new milestone in early 2024 : 1.5 million participants and 70’000 facilitators, in 157 countries…. Things have moved fast since the 200’000 participants and 7’000 facilitators we counted worldwide when we took part in ClimaNow Spotlight 2021 ! This growth is achieved thanks to participants from all walks of life who become facilitators themselves. We empower them to share their knowledge and act as local ambassadors of climate and sustainability action overall. With this coaching, they can in turn equip the participants in their workshops with simple next steps to take, insights about what’s to be achieved globally and energy to act.
The Swiss Climate Fresk organisation relies on the global Climate Fresk association for pedagogical work, IT tools and and the use of the Climate Fresk licence in Switzerland which is free to use, except for commercial cases. Partnerships have also been established with various types of institutions in Switzerland (e.g. Impact Hub), to increase visibility as well as workshop-hosting options, and to develop in-house facilitators.
In Switzerland, as of February 2024, over 20’000 people have participated in a Climate Fresk workshop. One third took part within businesses and organisations, one third in schools and universities, the rest mainly in public workshops, as well as in workshops for the public sector – about 800 public employees and elected representatives have taken part in a Fresk !
To keep up with this exponential growth, we have created a non-profit Swiss association, which already has a permanent staff member in charge of coordination. Climate Change is a reality, but needn’t be a fatality: for mitigation and adaptation to be widely acceptable, intense citizen engagement will be necessary. Scientifically robust, fun, accessible, easy to implement and to replicate, the Climate Fresk enables the snowball effect required to create a critical mass. Let’s continue to grow the Climate Fresk, a cool combination of science and collective intelligence, to get Switzerland more involved in positive climate action !
* Intergovernmental panel for Climate Change
„Climate Fresk is an innovative, effective and accessible tool for understanding the scientific basis of climate change. Disseminating this knowledge widely is essential for everyone to be able to take action in the face of this emergency.” – Valérie Masson-Delmotte, co-Chair of the IPCC.
