AdaptAction: stepping into the future to act on the present

“What can I do?” It is this question - simple yet crucial - that sparks AdaptAction – Connecting Solutions for Climate Change, the new interactive outreach project developed by Bocconi University for Meet Me Tonight 2025 (26–27 September). More than just explaining climate change, AdaptAction invites visitors to become active players in the ecological transition, blending data, technology, imagination and research.

Created in collaboration with Logotel, the experience unfolds across both a physical and digital space, open to everyone—adults, teenagers and children alike. It offers a dynamic, 15–20 minute interactive journey between the user and the content. And the dedicated online platform will remain accessible after the event, keeping the public dialogue and engagement alive.

“With AdaptAction, we want to build a bridge between research and citizens. Science plays a fundamental role in helping society understand the complexity of climate change, but only if it can speak to people in a new, empathetic and engaging way. That’s our goal,” explains Elena Carletti, Dean for Research at Bocconi University.

Open-ended scenarios and climate profiles

At the heart of the project are 12 open-ended future scenarios, inspired by research carried out by Bocconi faculty in diverse but interconnected fields: urban studies, agriculture, international cooperation, environmental impacts. Each scenario involves a series of choices: as they respond, visitors shape their own “climate profile” – Change Champion, Sustainable Realist, Informed Analyst or Everyday Guardian – reflecting their awareness and action-oriented mindset on environmental issues.

In a time when data speaks clearly but global inaction prevails, AdaptAction proposes a different approach: not alarmism, but motivation through experience. Not just another educational exhibit, but a narrative lab where the visitor plays the lead role, encouraged to explore connections and responsibilities.

The researchers’ questions

What fuels the project’s scientific foundation are the provocative and direct questions raised by Bocconi researchers:

• Valentina Bosetti, a climate change economics expert, explains the tools available to assess the costs and benefits of environmental policies.
• Gianmarco Ottaviano, with a macroeconomic perspective, reflects on how to build fairer, more sustainable global supply chains.
• Edoardo Croci and the team at Bocconi’s SURLab explore the cities of tomorrow, between urban regeneration and nature-based solutions.
• Vitaliano Fiorillo and the AgriBusiness Lab focus on regenerative agriculture and redefining the value created by agricultural enterprises beyond economic profit.
• Fabrizio Zerbini and the Mobius Lab investigate Gen Z’s views and expectations on urban mobility, envisioning future cities without private surface vehicles.

Four themes, many connections

AdaptAction is organized around four macro-themes, enabling personalized and interconnected exploration paths: Cities (How can we redesign urban spaces to adapt to climate change?); Agriculture (How can we transform one of the most impacting sectors into a key ally for mitigation?); Synergies (What multilateral strategies are needed to ensure a just and shared transition?) and Impacts (How can we effectively measure the positive and negative outcomes of our actions?)

Using QR codes and smartphones - —or directly through the digital platform - Meet Me Tonight visitors will navigate through content, data, images and questions. At the end of the experience, they receive a small “seed of change”: a tangible gadget to plant, symbolizing that action starts with each of us.

A project that goes beyond the event

AdaptAction has a clear ambition: to go beyond the event itself, becoming a lasting platform for dialogue between universities, citizens and institutions. Because climate change is already here, and tackling it demands awareness, knowledge, and - above all - participation. There is no more time to wait for someone else to act. As the opening question reminds us, in a call that feels both universal and personal: “What can I do?” With AdaptAction, the answer begins right here.