Science Summit at United Nations General Assembly 77 (UNGA77)

The global food production system has become increasingly complex and intertwined with the domains of trade, security, and finance. At the same time, it continues to be very vulnerable to climate impacts such as floods, tropical cyclones, wildfires, droughts, and heatwaves - that are becoming more and more common in an unstable climate. Moreover, globalization makes it more probable that these impacts will trigger events that will cascade from one region to another. A drought in one major breadbasket region, followed by increased food prices may pose a threat to the security of food import-dependent regions on the other side of the globe. Extreme weather events may not only directly hit food production sites but also major transportation routes and hubs, disrupting critical supply chains on a global scale. On top of that, more and more voices raise the issue of how biodiversity, communities, lands, and the environment are affected globally by food production practices, and how food production itself accelerates the climate crisis.
From these considerations, the following questions arise: How do we feed the global population while staying within ecological limits? How can this be done sustainably and in collaboration with local communities/partners around the world? How can we foster collaboration to plan and implement a global food system that is effective, efficient, sustainable, and just, for all? The Cascading Climate Impacts simulation creates a playground to explore those questions.
The Cascading Climate Impacts simulation is an online, narrative-oriented experience that brings the participants to the near future. The simulation is arranged within a virtual conference center, as a series of collective decisions preceded by several meetings and discussions. Participants assume the roles of representatives of various countries and organizations responsible for global safety and well-being. In these roles, they explore several interactive storylines offering diverse perspectives. They are confronted with a scenario of dramatic events caused by and connected to the climate crisis. Participants are invited to work together to decide on policy propositions for counteracting the emerging crises. The immersive character of their experience stimulates imagination, invokes emotions, encourages learning and knowledge sharing, and motivates action.