Environmental Science Professor Helped to Develop Award-Winning Climate Simulator

08/12/2025
By Brooke Coupal

Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Professor Juliette Rooney-Varga is among a team of researchers that recently received recognition for its global climate simulator, En-ROADS.

The System Dynamics Society presented the System Dynamics Applications Award to the En-ROADS team for having the best real-world application of system dynamics modeling, a tool for understanding complex systems such as climate change. Members of the En-ROADS team, including Rooney-Varga, accepted the award during the International System Dynamics Conference in Boston, which was held Aug. 3-7.

“It’s an honor to be recognized for the best real-world application of system dynamics,” says Rooney-Varga, who directs the Climate Change Initiative and serves as a technical and modeling partner for Climate Interactive. “While it may sound esoteric and technical, system dynamics is about helping people understand the complex challenges we face and finding better ways to manage those challenges. It’s a field that seems more relevant than ever, as does its use for supporting science-based climate action.”

Co-developed by Climate Interactive and MIT Sloan, En-ROADS is an online simulator that allows users to test climate solutions, such as electrifying transportation and improving agricultural practices, and to explore their impact on environmental factors like temperature and sea level rise. Rooney-Varga contributed to the bioenergy and forest sectors of the simulator, co-developed interactive simulation-based experiences and led the research on the impact of En-ROADS on learning and motivation to act. 

More than 340,000 people in 165 countries have participated in En-ROADS simulations since it launched in December 2019.

“This work goes far beyond exceptional climate, science, and rigorous climate modeling,” the System Dynamics Society wrote of En-ROADS. “It exemplifies the use of system dynamics to make a difference.”