IIASA Climate Migration Policy Simulation

Please register to participate.

Note: A Zoom link with joining instructions will be sent out a few days in advance of the event.

The policy simulations take place in the (hypothetical) near future when the European Union and Austria may be in the wake of a (second) migration crisis and focuses on ‘environmental’ migrants who are fleeing economic or ecological conditions worsened by climate change. The exercise is aided by an agent-based model that provides insights into the economic consequences of the migration scenario.

Through an immersive role-play experience, participants will discuss policy proposals that will shape the country’s future response to the challenges of environmental or climate immigration. They will be able to argue for potentially conflicting policy questions such as the status of environmental migrants, financial support for MENA countries, and participation in the Mediterranean rescue effort. The exercise enables these different views to be represented and respected.

The negotiation process that will be the main part of the simulation takes place in a virtual “conference center'' with multiple conference rooms, enabling both multilateral and bilateral negotiations of the specific policy questions.

Participants express their preferences via voting and receive feedback (based on their choices) through stylized media headlines. The process enables players to test and learn the complex consequences of their interconnected decisions in a safe (controlled) environment.