The government has funded a computer game that will be used to teach Indian children about climate change

The government is helping Indian schoolchildren learn about climate change through an innovative new computer game.

As part of a pilot programme, the ‘Copenhagen Challenge’ game for PCs and mobile phones was launched by Climate Minister Connie Hedegaard in New Delhi last week.

Students at the Montfort Secondary School got a chance to try out the game, which sees the user try to rescue Dr. Kumar and his climate change research from the fossil-fuel mafia. As the player progresses through the levels they are asked a series of questions about climate change and energy efficiency.

After feedback from the New Delhi students, the game will be made available by seven leading mobile phone operators, which can reach more than 70 million phone subscribers. For the first three months, one of the operators will make the game available for free, while the other operators will offer a reduced rate.

Up to 10,000 free CD-ROMS featuring the game in English and Hindi will also be offered to youth and science clubs.

The climate minister said that with the prevalence of mobile phones users in India (now more than 347 million) it was an ideal technology through which to spread the message of climate change to children.

‘Climate change awareness is about understanding what you can do in your own life to reduce the risk of climate change. We are only borrowing the earth from the younger generation, so I want to empower the young to make their own choices,’ said Hedegaard.

The game was financed by the Danish government and developed by Indian software company ZMQ, which won a UN award for education through technology.