Play up, play up and play the game

The interview with Pablo Suarez of the Red Cross, Red Crescent is worth watching for the enthusiasm with which the self-styled “game geek” presents games as an effective way of putting across climate change messages.

Entertainment – with a purpose – he emphasises is not to be dismissed: “As a scientist, I notice I put people to sleep when I’m talking about science.”

In addition, “games are great for making people realise decisions have consequences.”

He has already designed three games for the Red Cross and Red Crescent, and has helped develop games for Oxfam, German Watch, the World Bank and others. I can’t help feeling that Climate Monopoly might soon be on my birthday list.

Suarez’s participation illustrates a point that has struck me forcibly at this meeting: how many people know the Red Cross and Red Crescent has a Climate Centre? And that goes for literally hundreds of other organisations. If people knew how many institutions are taking climate change seriously and working on the issue, it would surely help convince doubtful or uninformed members of the public of the reality of global warming.