Europe's new climate project launched in Finland

HELSINKI -- The European Commission on Monday inaugurated a sustainable development project, Destination Earth (DestinE), in Kajaani, Finland.

At the opening ceremony, Finnish Minister of Employment Arto Satonen said, "The project opens up completely new opportunities for cooperation between universities, research institutes, and the business world, which, in turn, promotes well-being and economic growth throughout Europe and Finland."

In the DestinE project, a precise digital model of the Earth is developed, allowing for the monitoring, simulation, and prediction of climate and other natural phenomena.

The digital climate model run on Kajaani's LUMI supercomputer which is currently the most powerful in Europe, according to the Finnish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.

Margrethe Vestager, executive vice-president of the European Commission for a Europe Fit for the Digital Age, described the launch of the initial DestinE as a significant step in combating climate change. "We can now observe future environmental challenges like never before," she said in the commission's press release.

DestinE aims to achieve a complete digital replica of the Earth by 2030.

DestinE was officially launched in 2022. The launch on Monday marks the end of the first phase and the start of the second phase, both funded with over 150 million euros (161 million U.S. dollars) each. Funding for the third phase is currently being prepared. (1 euro = 1.08 US dollar)