The vision of the European Union and the European Space Agency (ESA) is bold: a Digital Twin of the Earth (DTE) that combines digital technologies such as satellite remote sensing, computer models and artificial intelligence (AI) that could fundamentally change the way we approach global risks. The ability to simulate future developments in the Earth system and interlinked societies could help to anticipate and prevent risks and phenomena such as natural disasters, conflicts or migration movements. But what would be the implications of the availability of such a digital twin of our planet for global politics? Dr. Delf Rothe examines these questions in a new article in the internationally renowned journal International Political Sociology. The article discusses the potential and risks of a digital twin of the planet. Such a model could provide important knowledge about the consequences of global warming and the resulting threats. At the same time, however, the tool could also promote risky interventions in the Earth system and a further technocratization of European politics.
The article is available in open access at the following link: https://academic.oup.com/ips/article/18/3/olae022/7700245.