The EU’s ambitious project to create a digital copy of the Earth is coming to an end: the digital twin prognoses the weather with unprecedented accuracy, even a few years prior. The project is called “Destination: Earth” and it is not limited to predictions: its creators will also try to simulate human behavior, thus observing how we change the climate through our actions.
This daring mission is the successor of another large-scale project. The EU stopped the billion-dollar Extreme Earth project, but interest in the idea did not disappear. To create a digital twin, the Earth’s atmosphere has been rendered into 1-kilometer “cells” to ensure accurate predictions. The program will be launched on supercomputers located in Finland, Italy, and Spain.
In addition to the atmosphere, the model also offers a simulation of the Earth’s oceans. Scientists will update the model over time with data from current events, be it air pollution, forest fires, or any other event that changes the weather or climate. The model will also be able to determine what impact climate change will have on agriculture and migration.
Of course, not only Europeans want to create such a model – they are actively working on a similar project in China.