Climate change, although increasingly evident, often feels abstract and distant to Western populations. Yet, rising temperatures, extreme weather, and sea level rises are already causing significant damage and loss of life globally. The World Economic Forum recognizes extreme weather as a top global risk due to its widespread impact on human and natural systems. These events cause significant damage to infrastructure, disrupt communities, and lead to loss of life. The World Economic Forum identifies extreme weather as one of the top global risks due to its widespread and severe impacts on human and natural systems. These events go along with sea level rises, higher ocean temperatures, and loss in biodiversity. See the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report, particularly the Working Group II contribution, “Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability.”
It has been known for many years that people respond to situations and events that they experience in virtual reality as if they were real. One of the purposes of our work is to give people direct experiences of what might happen in our towns and cities in the not too distant future as a result of climate change and assess the attitudinal, mental state, and behavioural changes in people as a result. Rather than ask people to read or think about the possible long term consequences of climate change, we can immerse them in situations that are predicted to occur if climate changed is not tackled appropriately by the international community. From this we can assess possible changes in their attitudes, behaviours, and mental health as a result of this realisation: this is what will happen unless urgent action is taken.
A small town has been devasted by a climate emergency. People are doing their best to survive and are living in the streets.
