The European Union’s Destination Earth initiative is set to move into its third implementation phase following a new agreement between the European Commission and the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF).
Phase 3, which begins in June 2026 and continues until June 2028, is a key step in advancing one of the world’s most sophisticated digital representations of the planet.
Designed to provide an ultra-high resolution digital twin of the Earth, Destination Earth aims to help policymakers, scientists and public authorities better understand, predict and respond to climate change and extreme weather risks in Europe and the rest of the world.
Irina Sandu, ECMWF’s Destination Earth Director, emphasized the importance of the project: “Destination Earth is above all a European collaborative effort. It brings together expertise in Earth system modeling, software engineering, high performance computing and artificial intelligence.”
“By pooling our resources and working closely with our partners, we are building capacity to complement existing national and European services and help European institutions and member states prepare for the challenges posed by climate change and extreme events.”
Digital twin for climate and extreme weather
At the heart of Destination Earth is an advanced digital twin that simulates the Earth system in great detail.
These models allow users to analyze past and current conditions and consider possible future scenarios, including extreme weather events under different warming pathways.
One of the key features is the use of “what-if” and storyline simulations. This allows researchers to recreate historical events such as floods and heatwaves and see how their effects change in a world that is 2°C warmer.
These insights are becoming increasingly important for climate adaptation planning, disaster preparedness and long-term resilience strategies at both European and national level.
Progress and partnership expansion since launch
Since its launch in 2022, Destination Earth has rapidly evolved through close collaboration between more than 100 partner organizations, including ECMWF, the European Space Agency (ESA), EUMETSAT, and many national meteorological services.
Climate change adaptation digital twins and weather-induced extreme digital twins have evolved from early prototypes to operational modeling frameworks.
We now regularly produce high-resolution climate predictions and detailed simulations of extreme events to support real-world decision-making across a variety of sectors.
A key technical backbone of this effort is the Digital Twin Engine. The system manages complex workflows and large-scale data streams across EuroHPC supercomputers and Destination Earth infrastructure, while providing tailored access to digital twin data for users across the ecosystem.
Artificial intelligence takes center stage
AI is becoming a central element of Destination Earth.
Since Phase 2 began in 2024, machine learning tools have been developed for multiple Earth system domains, including land, ocean, sea ice, waves, and hydrology. AI-driven solutions are also improving the way users interact with vast amounts of climate data.
Phase 3 will deepen this integration by further linking the Climate and Extremes digital twin with the digital twin engine while advancing AI-enabled Earth system models.
This approach combines physical climate science with advanced machine learning to improve forecast accuracy, speed, and uncertainty analysis.
Building an AI Earth System Model
The main focus of the next phase will be to advance and combine machine learning-based Earth system components to complement traditional physics-based simulations. This hybrid modeling approach supports faster experimentation, rapid “what-if” testing, and more robust risk assessments.
The program will also produce high-quality AI-enabled datasets designed to feed Europe’s growing network of AI factories.
By strengthening the connections between supercomputing, AI, and Earth system science, Destination Earth is laying the foundation for a new generation of climate and weather applications.
Strengthening Europe’s climate leadership
By leveraging significant investments in high-performance computing and AI, Destination Earth strengthens Europe’s leadership in trusted environmental intelligence.
This initiative will support national meteorological and hydrological services, public authorities and industry innovators, while complementing existing European and national climate services.
As Phase 3 begins, Destination Earth will be positioned not only as a scientific milestone but also as a strategic tool for preparedness, resilience, and innovation in an era of accelerating climate change.
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