Abstract for: Developing an Interactive Learning Environment to teach the two-way coupling of climate-human system

What if exploring our planet’s future felt less like reading a report and more like running an experiment? Teaching the complex feedback loops that connect human actions and climate systems remains a challenge. Learners often struggle to grasp how these systems co-evolve. To address the learning gap, an interactive Learning Environment (ILE) was developed, built on the FRIDA model (Feedback based Knowledge Repository for IntegrateD Assessment). The ILE is designed for high school to post graduate students, educators, and adult learners interested in climate-human systems. The ILE uses interactive visualization, goal setting, and policy exploration to help users experiment with the feedback loops between human actions and climate outcomes, fostering systems thinking through active learning. The concept of the FRIDA ILE was first introduced to WorldTrans consortium members in January 2025, where it was well received. In June 2025, the fully developed ILE was used at the Bergen Summer Research School, involving students and researchers from diverse background. Structured feedback was collected, highlighting the ILE’s effectiveness in fostering systems thinking, while also identifying areas for improving usability, navigation, etc., for future improvements. The goal of the FRIDA ILE is to make systems thinking accessible and engaging, stimulating critical reflection on the complexity of the climate and human systems. Developing this tool is not just to be a learning platform, but a catalyst for dialogue, one that encourages critical thinking and shared understanding around one of the most pressing challenges of our time.