In Earth's future there is a twin planet. No, it's not one of those fascinating astronomy articles: it's a virtual twin. A digital twin. Basically, the doppelgänger virtual world of our planet. Is called DestinE and is the result of an ambitious 315 million euro project launched by the European Commission. The goal of our “digital twin”? That predicts the evolution of the climate and tests the impact of policies and scenarios with unprecedented precision. By combining artificial intelligence with massive amounts of data, DestinE promises to revolutionize the way we address climate change, providing scientists and decision makers with a cutting-edge simulation tool to make informed decisions and shape a more sustainable future.
You are my DestinE
Think about it: a perfect model of our planet to play with as climate demiurges. Like Populous, for those who remember the game, but seriously. What exactly does “digital twin” mean? First of all, it is not a simple simulation, but a dynamic and constantly evolving model, capable of learning and adapting to real changes. Like a virtual brother, who does the same things as Earth, but who every now and then we can "send" to a parallel world, to see "what would happen if". DestinE will be powered by a constant flow of data from satellites, sensors and climate models, to return a faithful and updated representation of our planet.
And it's also a time machine, of course. Imagine being able to step into the future and see what the Earth will be like in 10, 20 or 50 years. Our digital twin will be able to simulate climate evolution with a resolution of up to a few square kilometers. What will the climate of Naples be like in 2050? Just ask DestinE. Will that new emissions reduction plan be enough to contain global warming? Digital twin intercom.
A green supercomputer for a green project
It goes without saying that extraordinary computing power is needed to carry out such a project. This is what theEuroHPC, the 20.000 graphics processor supercomputer that will be the beating heart of DestinE. Located in Finland, this IT giant will consume the energy equivalent of a small city, but with one substantial difference: it will be powered 100% by renewable sources. Yes, you understood correctly. The digital twin of the Earth will be green, because ultimately it would not make sense to use dirty energy to find solutions to climate change. And then, let's face it, it would be a bit like asking a vegan to work in a butcher's shop (and yet I feel that someone in the world does it. I'm close to you, come out).
A rather open digital twin
DestinE will not just be a toy for scientists and politicians. The software for this digital twin will be open-source and developed in collaboration with the European scientific and technological community. Because to face a global challenge like climate change, a collective and transparent effort is needed. Anyone can contribute to perfecting the digital twin by adding new data, refining the algorithms or proposing new scenarios to explore. It will be a bit like Wikipedia, but instead of discussing the date of birth of an actor or the capital of Burkina Faso, we will work to save the planet.
Is it understood that I like the project? A lot of water has flowed under the bridge since "way back" 2021, when small digital twins were being prepared of city. Here we are talking about "twinning" an entire planet, even if "only" (so to speak) in reference to climate models. DestinE has the potential to completely change our approach to climate issues, and to make informed decisions.
Of course, a digital twin won't be the magic wand that will solve all our problems.
We need courageous policies, lifestyle changes and global mobilization to tackle the climate crisis. With the help of the twin, however, we will be able to have a compass to navigate the uncertain sea of the future and chart a course towards a better future. Maybe I'm looking too far ahead, but I can already imagine when we will look at this contraption as a piece of archaeology.
It will be when we have virtual twins who show us all the alternative scenarios with incredible precision, building the future in real time and according to the needs of the moment. It will be well beyond 2027, however: because this is the arrival date of the "Twin Earth", and this is just the beginning. With a recommendation, which I will make before (or instead of) those who will not read the article and will comment on it randomly on social media: let's hope we don't make a mess by playing with the fate of the planet. Because, no matter how serious and precise, with digital toys you always have a reset button at hand. The Earth's digital twin can start from scratch: the real one, well... it depends.
