Efforts to address climate change focus on mitigation and adaptation. The former aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to slow, and eventually halt, adverse effects on our atmosphere. Mitigation involves fundamental changes in the way we do things that will reduce our vulnerability and increase our resilience when sea levels rise, storms intensify, airborne diseases spread and other climate change impacts occur. Persistent skepticism that climate change is a serious problem, or at least a man-made one, compounds the challenge.

Many experts believe that at least some level of adaptation will be necessary, regardless of how successful mitigation efforts are, because of the lag in our climate systems. The burdens associated with climate change and the costs of addressing them will not be shared equally, meaning that there will inevitably be winners and losers

The role play exercises available through the Clearinghouse introduce decision makers and other stakeholders to the challenges associated with collective efforts to address the uncertain and dynamic risks associated with climate change. Three multi-party role play simulations focus on local planning in a small city called Evantown. Two others are national in scope, one explores the impacts of climate change on decisions to build a large hydroelectric dam in a country in Africa and the other brings parties together to figure out how sea level rise and salt water intrusion in a large, fertile river delta might affect agricultural policy in a country in Asia.