Europe has embarked on an ambitious journey to build the next generation of digital replicas of our planet. The European Commission’s Destination Earth (DestinE) initiative is at the heart of this effort: a multi-year programme, implemented by ECMWF, ESA and EUMETSAT, that is developing high-precision digital twins of the Earth system to model, monitor and simulate natural phenomena, hazards and the related human activities. DestinE combines cutting-edge Earth observations, advanced Earth system modelling, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Europe’s most powerful supercomputers to deliver actionable insights on climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and sustainable development. Complementing this effort, ESA’s Digital Twin Earth programme, together with EU Horizon Europe projects and national initiatives, are advancing the scientific foundations and Earth observation components that underpin these digital twins.

This session invites contributions that explore the applications of Earth system digital twins, co-designed with stakeholders, ranging from extreme event prediction to long-term climate adaptation, from urban liveability to marine and hydrological systems. Building on the successful Digital Twin sessions at EGU in recent years, this session offers a forum for sharing user perspectives that will help shape Europe’s digital twin ecosystem and its global relevance.