Keep Cool - Gambling with the Climate

This project will realize a new edition of "Keep Cool" – The Game on Climate Change. Scientists of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research developed the game, which is so popular that three editions have already been sold out! Currently, the small publishing company is not capable of producing a new edition on its own. With your help, however, “Keep Cool” will be available again.

The main idea of the game resembles that of global climate change negotiations: 6 powerful world regions negotiate their economic development and climate protection. They can either cooperate to protect the climate or seek for individual profit maximization. If, however, climate change is not sufficiently addressed it will fight back: farmland dries out, flash floods cause dramatic damages and plagues increase. If the negotiators still don’t start to cooperate, everybody will lose…

Every world region pursues both economic and political targets. While all players need to build an industrial basis and constant economic growth, the political targets may be conflicting. Some might want to promote renewable energies or are pushed to protect the climate by influential environmental organizations. Others might not believe in climate change or are instrumentalized by their oil industry. Finally, some will be pragmatic - they are mainly concerned with global economic growth or their insurances and will cooperate with either group, depending on the current situation.

"Keep Cool“ is aimed at environmental pioneers, idealists and strategic gamers. In this climate game no game is like another, since the same actors represent different political interest for their world regions at every new game. The players are challenged to plan strategically, to cooperate, and also to put pressure on their fellow players. It is this feature which explains the special fascination of the game. And that’s why everyone needs to “keep cool”!

Your support will make an improved edition of the game possible. For this, 500 game orders will be required.

With your support we can make "Keep Cool" available again! You can help to raise awareness on the problem of climate change, because every player of this game quickly gets a feeling for the positive or negative impacts that different technologies have on the climate - and it becomes clear how much everyone's own actions can influence the intensity of climate change. This knowledge is also helpful in the player's real lives as they get a better understanding of the complexity of political climate negotiations and may also be motivated to use climate-friendly technologies to minimize the consequences of climate change as much as possible.

As a supporter of at least 25€ you receive this game from us even before it is available in stores. The normal price would be 25.50€ plus shipping cost.

The whole amount collected on this webpage will be invested to realize the updated edition of the game. Certainly before Christmas “Keep Cool” will be available again, for example on the publisher's homepage.

Furthermore, the game will be made available for schools. This will help raising the pupils' awareness for and knowledge about the causes of climate change.

Should we exceed the 10,000 Euro in support, we will be able to realize additional game improvements:
at 14.000 Euro the little wooden blocks representing firms will get a more detailed design so that they will be recognizable as firms.
at 16.500 Euro additional cards will be added to the game which give new options to the players.