Open Access

Juliette Rooney-Varga, Lucia Cheney, Rachel L. Coleman, Andrew Jones, Florian KapmeierORCiD, Peyton Newsome, Krystal Noiseux, Bethany Patten, Kenneth Rath, John Sterman

• The risks of climate change stand in stark contrast to widespread confusion, conflict, and insufficient action among decision-makers. Interactive climate policy simulations have been proposed to enable people to learn more effectively than traditional risk communication methods. Here we analyze the impact of engaging decision-makers in government, the private sector, and NGOs with the interactive En-ROADS climate policy simulator. Quantitative analyses of pre- and post-workshop surveys show statistically significant, substantive gains in participant knowledge about climate solutions, their personal connection to climate change, and their sense of empowerment to address it. Analyses of post-workshop semi-structured interviews highlight gains in knowledge about and emotional engagement with climate solutions induced by the simulation, with many participants reporting stronger motivation to act on climate. The results suggest that simulations like En-ROADS can inform and empower decision-makers to influence climate policy, offering a promising tool to bridge the gap between knowledge and action.