COVID-19 has revealed a general lack of preparedness to deal with black swan events that are highly unlikely but can change the entire world we knew up until then. While the consequences of climate change are expected to be even more severe, large uncertainties in terms of global emission pathways and climate change impacts persist.

Especially in terms of specific climate change related health risks, migration challenges, and other significant challenges, it remains unclear whether and how humanity will be able to prevent the worst consequences of climate change and who will have to face which specific risks. Tools of strategic foresight, such as scenario workshops, can help you to strategically think about the future, discover relevant trends and key drivers of change, and develop effective strategies

What to expect from this workshop?

In this workshop, you will have the chance to learn more about scenario development tools and interact with other participants to create specific potential future pathways on global climate action. We will focus on the target year 2045, 15 years after the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are due and identify potential developments along the way. The workshop will last 5-6 hours and thus be a condensed version of a typical scenario workshop.

Who can participate?

The workshop is open to participants of all ages and social and academic backgrounds. The more diverse the participants are, the better the experience will be. The only thing we expect you to bring to this workshop is curiosity and the willingness to interact with others and think outside the box.

To optimize the workshop experience, participation is limited to 30 people. We ask that you only sign up to the workshop if you commit to attending, so as not to take the spot away from someone else.

Our Expert

Max Jungmann is the Founder and CEO of Momentum Novum, a sustainability consultancy based in Heidelberg, Germany, and Quito, Ecuador. He is also a researcher in the Climate Action Science Project at the University of Heidelberg. After studying political science as well as sociology, media and communication science at the Universities of Trier and Heidelberg, he completed his PhD on health policy challenges of climate change at the University of Heidelberg. He teaches seminars at the Chair of International Relations and Foreign Policy at Heidelberg University, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the Steinbeis Business Academy (SBA), and the German Foreign Office. He is a trained scenario workshop facilitator and sustainability consultant. He has worked as a freelance journalist for many years and has several years of experience in University level teaching. Max is a Climate Reality Leader and has served on the Senior Staff of National Model United Nations New York for over 7 years.

Event Schedule

12:00 - 12:30 p.m. Networking & Light Lunch

12:30 - 12:35 p.m. Kickoff and Welcome by Joann Halpern (HPI)

12:35 - 1:00 p.m. Introduction to Futurology/Scenario Techniques

1:00 - 1:30 p.m. Environmental Scanning: Silent Brainstorming

1:30 - 2:00 p.m. Environmental Scanning: Silent Clustering

2:00 - 2:30 p.m. Environmental Scanning: Finalization of Descriptors

2:30 - 2:45 p.m. Coffee Break

2:45 - 3:15 p.m. Uncertainty/Impact Analysis

3:15 - 3:45 p.m. Definition of Key Uncertainties and Relevant Trends

3:45 - 4:15 p.m. Scenario Construction: Projections

4:15 - 4:45 p.m. Scenario Construction: Reduced Morphological Analysis

4:45 - 5:30 p.m. Backcasting

5:30 - 6:00 p.m. Scenario Presentation and Final Discussion

6:00 - 7:00 p.m. Reception

United Nations In-Person Guided Tour (Thursday, June 16, 4:45 PM / EDT)

As part of the workshop the DWIH New York is offering participants the opportunity to attend a one-hour guided tour of the United Nations the afternoon before the workshop. The tour cost is covered by the DWIH New York and limited to 15 workshop participants.

If you would like to attend the United Nations Guided Tour, you can express your interest by checking the appropriate box in the registration form. Spaces in the tour are determined on a first-come, first-served basis. We will contact selected participants via email to confirm their participation.

Health and Safety Policy:

To attend this in-person event, you will need to register in advance and bring:

• Proof of vaccination (vaccine card/certificate, a copy or photo of vaccine card/certificate or electronic NYS Excelsior Pass or NJ Docket Pass)
• Photo ID
• A medical face mask