13th SDG Climate Action

January 8th,2024, Serdang UPM-During the festive period between Christmas and New Year, first-year engineering students at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) turned their free time into a learning opportunity with the "Climate Game - Can You Reach Net Zero." This online simulation, developed by the Financial Times, is not just a game. Based on real science and reports, it is based on the International Energy Agency's (IEA) 2022 carbon emissions model and scenarios from their "Net Zero by 2050" report, where students dive deep to explore climate action strategies.

The goal of this 'Climate Game' is simple but challenging: to reduce annual energy-related CO2 emissions from 36 gigatons to net zero by 2050, while also reducing other greenhouse gases. In this 'Climate Game', students take on the role of politicians, entrepreneurs, and activists, where they are faced with the complexities of climate change. Using the IEA's World Energy Model (WEM) and Energy Technology Perspective (ETP) Model, their strategic decisions in this simulation directly affect the fate of the virtual world, reflecting real-world challenges amid global warming.

Students from each department work together, and the group with the highest average score wins the competition. Aerospace engineering students, with their clever strategies and active participation, won the competition, showing the true spirit of this educational competition.

The event is completely student-led, covering everything from promotion to organizing and even setting the rules for the 'Climate Game'. It is part of the ENG3101 Engineering Seminar, a course for all first-year engineering students at UPM. The event demonstrated great collaboration among students from all eight engineering departments in the Faculty.

Dr. Salahuddin Harithuddin, one of the course instructors, gave some insight into this activity, "This 'serious' game crosses play and education. It is an opportunity for students to face the real issue of climate change and find practical solutions to achieve zero emissions."

Goh Mei Jun, a chemical and environmental engineering student, commented, "Playing the climate game made me realize the importance of each decision and its impact on carbon emissions and temperature... small steps are also very important in reducing the effects of climate change."

Another student, Airen Dayana, shared, "This Climate Game helped me understand the complex relationship between greenhouse gas emissions, temperature changes, and their ecosystem impacts."

At a time when digital technology dominates, the Faculty of Engineering at UPM excels by incorporating innovative educational tools into its curriculum. This student-led competition demonstrates UPM's commitment to educating engineers who are just as adept at overcoming environmental challenges as they are at traditional engineering tasks. Additionally, it demonstrates the Faculty's focus on calling on students to take initiative in their own learning journey.

The 'Climate Game' can be played online at https://ig.ft.com/climate-game/

Date of Input: 19/01/2024 | Updated: 19/01/2024 | no.j