Using Simulators to Guide Equitable Climate Solutions with Climate Interactive

As part of our dedication to building a just and sustainable future for all, the Russell Family Foundation (TRFF) explores innovative ways to use philanthropy to address the climate crisis. An important part of how we do this is through partnerships with organizations that drive equitable climate action. 

One of our partners, Climate Interactive, helps create equal access to the critical science and policy that underlies the most effective climate solutions. The organization is turning technical climate science into accessible information, using experiential learning to engage and inform decision-makers around high-leverage, equitable climate solutions.

Creating access to climate science and simulators

Climate Interactive creates user-friendly climate simulators that predict outcomes on topics ranging from international policy, cutting-edge climate solutions, energy dynamics, climate justice, and more. The simulators are part of a suite of tools that help people understand connections that catalyze effective and equitable climate action. 

At the heart of this work are the organization’s innovative and constantly evolving online simulators, En-ROADS and C-ROADS, which are free and accessible to all. The En-ROADS global climate simulator, co-developed with MIT Sloan, lets users explore the impact that policies like pricing carbon or electrifying transport would have on hundreds of factors, from energy prices to air quality. The tool is designed to equip elected officials, business leaders, and others with the necessary knowledge to implement solutions.

Complementing this, the C-ROADS simulator helps users visualize the long-term impacts of national and regional greenhouse gas emissions reductions, as well as the pledges that countries have made to the United Nations. This simulator can determine whether, collectively, the policies in place are enough to keep temperatures below the 2°C indicated in the Paris Agreement.

To further increase access and understanding, the Climate Interactive team amplifies these insights through interactive workshops, role-playing games, and events led by an international network of trained facilitators. 

TRFF’s investment in these events and programming helps Climate Interactive engage decision-makers across government, institutional finance, corporations, and philanthropy. For example, the En-ROADS simulator is accompanied by a workshop for climate leaders, and a role-playing game to explore the different stakeholders and solutions that need to come together to take effective action on climate change. 

Applying the simulators and training in the real world

One of the users of En-ROADS is AllianceBernstein, a global investment firm with a $725 billion portfolio. Roy Maslen, Chief Investment Officer of Australian Equities, and his team used Climate Interactive’s tools to enhance their climate risk modeling and contribute to the company’s annual Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) report. 

When describing the experience, Maslen said: “En-ROADS enables investors to envision different climate futures, which is vital to assessing policy possibilities and risks, and ultimately, to making investment decisions.”

Maslen is just one user of many. To date, more than 1.3 million people across 169 countries have used these climate simulators to assess the policies and strategies that will best mitigate climate change. In 2024, Climate Interactive equipped 4,650 decision-makers, including business and government leaders, with critical insights to advance bold climate policies. The Climate Interactive team has also trained and mobilized a network of 830+ individuals in 86 countries, who engage leaders around the world with critical insights and climate solutions. From UN negotiations and the World Economic Forum, to members of Congress and corporate boards, Climate Interactive influences policies and investments toward high-impact climate solutions.

In 2025, Climate Interactive will scale its engagement programs in eight key countries where emissions are rising rapidly and the impacts of climate change are greatest. By leveraging their networks of Climate Ambassadors, institutional partners, and academics, the organization will engage decision-makers in these critical regions to implement equitable policies and solutions that address the climate crisis.

The impact of innovative philanthropy

Through its support, TRFF is helping amplify Climate Interactive’s ability to engage decision-makers with its innovative tools and programs and drive impactful action. This collaboration has also unlocked new opportunities for growth and partnership, further strengthening our collective efforts to advance our shared mission to drive equitable climate solutions and address the climate crisis.

Organizations like Climate Interactive continue to prove that it is possible to shape climate policy for the better and to break down the barriers that stand in the way of climate action. Philanthropy has the power to step up and scale finance to organizations like Climate Interactive that are empowering meaningful climate action. 

For information on all of TRFF’s grantees, please browse our grants.