October 1, 2025
It was an ambitious goal that was to be realized yesterday, 30 September 2025, on the campus of Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences (HKA): Together with the MVV Stiftung Zukunft and with the support of Climate Fresk Deutschland e. V., the world's largest climate fresk was to be carried out there. Unfortunately, this did not work out. Although there was no freak weather, the event now had 725 participants who took part in a three-hour workshop entitled "TER.R.A Puzzle" under the guidance of more than 200 trained coaches from all over Germany. The previous record was set on 09.11.2023 in Abu Dhabi with 1,117 participants. With more participants, this would have been the world's largest educational event on climate change to date - and a jury member from the Guinness Book of Records was already on site.
Although it fell short of the international record, the 725 participants set a new German record - and sent a strong signal for climate education and community engagement. "Of course we would have been delighted with the world record - but what is much more important is that we were able to get hundreds of people excited about the topic of climate change," says Prof. Dr. Olivier Schecker from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics at HKA, one of the two initiators of the project at the university. "The TER.R.A. Puzzle has shown that learning about climate science doesn't have to be dry, but can also be interactive, emotional and collaborative." "We want to make climate change tangible for people, strengthen their sense of responsibility and promote new forms of social participation," adds Prof. Dr. Jan Bauer from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology. "With the TER.R.A Puzzle, we are not only raising awareness of the climate crisis, but also giving students the opportunity to actively engage with solutions. We also want to show how we can effectively bring together education, science and commitment, because ultimately it will depend on as many people as possible sharing these goals and getting involved in everyday life."
Other European universities also joined the campaign: The Munich Business School, the University of Rouen (Normandy, France), the University of Skövde (Sweden), Supmicrotech-ENSMM (France), Munster Technological University (Ireland) and other Ingenium universities are holding similar events at the same time.
The climate fresk ( www.klimapuzzle.de) is a scientific game based on the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that is used worldwide. The causes, mechanisms and consequences of climate change are depicted in 42 cards that build on each other thematically. It enables participants to access the complex interrelationships of climate change in a collaborative and interactive way. The approximately three-hour workshops are therefore a very effective tool for communicating complex scientific findings on climate change in an understandable and interactive way and enable participants to gain a sound understanding of the causes and effects of the climate crisis. The results are then discussed together: What patterns are recognizable? Where do feedback loops arise? Finally, the groups discuss what options for action are available - from their own behavior to political measures. The climate puzzle is very popular around the world: more than two million people in 168 countries and more than 45 languages have now taken part.
The large-scale event "TER.R.A Puzzle" was made possible by the voluntary commitment of many helpers from Karlsruhe, Germany, France, Switzerland and Austria as well as the support of sponsors.
"The MVV Stiftung Zukunft promotes projects that strengthen the common good, education and sustainability in the context of the energy turnaround", says Eva Rüttinger, member of the Executive Board. "With the TER.R.A. Puzzle at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, we are supporting an event that gets young people excited about climate science and promotes team spirit and responsibility. This fits perfectly with our goal of creating learning spaces for the next generation and working together to advance the energy transition and a sustainable society. We are proud to be a partner of this Guinness World Record attempt."
Bosch underscored its commitment to sustainable development and education by having 30 Bosch associates volunteer to facilitate TER.R.A Puzzle workshops at HKA. "As a global company, Bosch aims to provide 'technology for life'," explains Thomas Schulte, Head of the Corporate Sustainability Department. "To do this, we need associates who have both excellent specialist knowledge and an understanding of complex sustainability issues such as climate change. We therefore support numerous organizations and initiatives in providing students with the skills they need to actively shape solutions for a sustainable future later on."
Ingmar Lohmann, Chairman of the WEPA Foundation, adds: "The world's largest climate fresk event at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences focuses on climate protection - an issue that concerns us all. The WEPA Foundation is committed to sustainability and lifelong learning, among other things, and is happy to support this important project."
Further information on the TER.R.A Puzzle can be found on the web at https://terra-puzzle.de/.
