Climate communication using virtual reality

How can the climate crisis be taught? What are the expected scenarios and what do we truly find ourselves confronted with? Professor Niklaus Heeb and Jonas Christen, scientific researcher, both from the Zurich University of the Arts present two virtual reality (VR) experiences that show you up close what the impact of climate change means for us all.

The climate crisis

For a long time now, experts have been warning us that the glaciers are melting. The rise in temperature can no longer be averted and thus represents the greatest challenge faced by humankind. Through global efforts, the rise is to be limited to less than two degrees. But what do these two degrees mean in real terms for nature, the landscape and the human race? How can such complex and abstract information be conveyed? And what are the strategies against people’s denial and lack of engagement?

Experience the consequences

To address this complex issue, two Swiss universities have developed and investigated VR experiences. The latest glacier models have been visualised using VR. The result: virtual journeys into the future of the Aletsch and Morteratsch glaciers. The Department of Geosciences at the University of Fribourg (UniFR) has calculated the changes to the glaciers and made these tangible in virtual 3D space with the help of the Knowledge Visualization research group of Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK).
With the external pageTwo-Degrees Expedition and the external pageVR Glacier Experience, you can find out what impact climate change is having on the glaciers and their surrounding environment. The projects convey complex information (two-degrees target) in a simple and easily comprehensible way combined with a positive emotional experience.

In the 17:15 Colloquium, the two speakers present research questions, communication concepts, design processes and PR work.

The 17:15 Colloquium offers a platform for further education and discussion of topics related to libraries, museums and archives. The formula: a 30-minute lecture + a 30-minute discussion + small-group discussion = inspiration for our daily working lives.