Background

Zurich Risk Solutions recognised a critical challenge in effectively communicating climate risk. They understood that traditional presentations often failed to fully engage stakeholders or create lasting awareness around the urgency and practicality of climate action. Their goal was clear: to transform a complex, often daunting topic into an interactive experience capable of inspiring genuine "light bulb moments."

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Challenge

Businesses often face hurdles when confronting climate risk, such as the perception that climate data is overly complicated or that proactive measures are prohibitively expensive. Zurich sought a solution that would tackle these limiting assumptions head-on, driving engagement through experiential learning rather than passive observation.

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Our Approach

Our team began with extensive research, including a series of workshops and detailed interviews with key Zurich stakeholders. This initial phase aimed to deeply understand their objectives, uncover essential insights around climate risk, and identify the specific breakthroughs Zurich wanted participants to achieve through gameplay.

Through collaborative exploration, core assumptions emerged including:

• "Climate data is too complicated."
• "Taking action on climate risk is too expensive."

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Solution – Risk to Resilience

Drawing on the insights gathered, we developed an engaging game scenario set in the fictitious village of Fairborough, centering around its local football club. The narrative involved the community’s struggle with repeated flooding incidents, placing players in strategic decision-making roles. Participants were tasked with guiding Fairborough Football Club through these challenges, making critical budget-conscious decisions that balanced community well-being, environmental impact, and organisational reputation.

Key features of the game included:

• Decision-making rounds: Players navigated through various scenarios, each presenting distinct challenges, decisions, and impacts.
• Budget management: Participants had to carefully allocate resources, fostering practical understanding of balancing financial constraints against actions.
• Wildcard events: Realistic, unpredictable climate incidents simulated sudden environmental shocks, forcing rapid adaptation and strategic recalibration.
• Multiple Formats: To ensure versatile application, we produced video-based, text-based, and condensed versions of the game, allowing Zurich to adapt sessions to workshops, events, and targeted engagements seamlessly.

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Outcomes and Impact

Zurich now possesses a highly flexible and effective tool for engaging diverse audiences on climate risk. The game has successfully challenged participants' preconceived notions, simplifying complex climate issues through interactive play. By transforming theoretical risks into tangible scenarios, Zurich is able to elevate stakeholder awareness and encouraged proactive climate action.

Risk to Resilience exemplifies how experiential learning can effectively turn climate risk understanding from abstract concepts into practical, relatable actions, fundamentally reshaping how organisations approach sustainability and risk management.

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Testimonial

"I just wanted to reach out to reaffirm how great it was working with you on the climate game"

Andrew Forsyth - Head of Climate Resilience and Sustainability (UK) - Zurich Resilience Solutions