KARACHI: When all scientific researches and reports, global climate marches, and even Greta Thunburg's pleadings fail to move global leaders to cut emissions, what do you do? Some say, use another approach — play a game.

And that is exactly what some 60 students from 16 colleges and universities did for two days at mock COP In My City event organized at Karachi's Institute of Business Administration's Go Green Society, over the weekend, on October 5th and 6th.

The only exception among these undergrads was eight-year old Emaan Danish Khan, a social entrepreneur who won her nomination for this activity because she "hates plastic" and makes toys and dolls using recyclable material.

The students took on the roles of delegates from different countries or regions and were charged with reaching an agreement to limit warming to no more than 1.5 degree centigrade.

An animated debate ensued where there was some blame game by vulnerable countries, some stubbornness on the part of developed countries followed by placations -- all on how countries and regions would manage their greenhouse gas emissions.

The richer countries pledged support and the developing countries requested money from the Green Climate Fund (GCF), created to help developing countries cut their emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

"I thought that we would discuss climate change issues faced by Pakistan and come up with solutions," said Farhan Ali from Karachi University. He was pleasantly surprised they he had to learn to collaborate and even compromise to lower the global temperature, all in a fun way.

The role play also included different interest groups including the fossil fuel lobby, activists as well as the press.

The negotiated decisions and pledges were then entered into an award-winning computer simulator programme called the World Climate Simulation, using a software called C-Roads. Within minutes it started calculating and predicting the increased global surface temperature by the end of the century.

Omer Akif, a young lawyer, passionate about climate change issues "stumbled" upon this "randomly" while doing some research as a student at LUMS, back in 2016 and then was so excited, roped in his class fellows to participate.

That was not enough. He wanted more students to engage. So in 2017 he pitched the idea to the Ministry of Climate Change and got Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) Foundation, a German organisation to fund an event in Islamabad, where 50 students from 22 universities from 11 cities across Pakistan participated.

The following year, in 2018 the HEC hosted it, funded by FNFand now finally in Karachi.

This year the shortlisted applicants were filtered through a process; with the result, the "quality of the debate was even better" pointed out Akif.

The beauty of the programme is such that age is no bar. From primary school groups, to senior citizens and executive of multinationals to Nobel Prize winners, everyone can participate. In Akif's three-year experience of conducting these events, here in Pakistan, business and marketing graduates have done better than those studying environmental sciences or climate change. "If Trump and other climate deniers are made to participate in this, they just may get convinced about the gravity of the situation," pointed out Akif.

The first round fell short as participants made individual decisions, resisted making cuts to their emissions, demanded more money from the GCF, or assumed the pledges made were enough to meet the global goal. The simulation clearly showed the consequences of putting countries first over the entire planet and how those decisions put the entire earth in jeopardy.

That is when it dawned on to Asif Ali, from University Law college, Quetta, that "climate situation went well beyond borders" and reducing carbon emissions was the only way out for the future generations to survive. "The ideal target was 1.5 degrees but 2 degrees was also acceptable according to Paris agreement, but on Day 1 they reached 2.6," said Akif, adding: "Ninety billion dollars were pledged in total on the first day while the request was for $100 billion."

But the next day, when the same students negotiated again they were more skillful and reduced further to 2.3 degrees by Day 2 which was Akif admitted was "a great achievement" as was the $417 billion pledges as opposed to the $100 billion request. "With more efforts, they can done even better!"

For many players, the impact was personal. Even with alarms sounded by scientists of catastrophes if global temperatures rise beyond 2 degrees centigrade, Ali Abdul Hai, from Highbrow College, in Karachi, remained optimistic saying: "It's never too late" for meaningful action. "But everyone has to pitch in!" he added. The students said they felt a much stronger desire to learn, do more in raising awareness to reducing their individual carbon footprints.

Advisor to the Prime Minister on climate change, Malik Amin Aslam, felicitated the students, spoke about all that the present government was doing with reference to climate change and distributed prizes and certificates.

Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2019