Cities are the planet’s largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions (排放), so they offer the greatest opportunity to tackle climate change. Hitting net zero emissions by 2050, a target set at the COP26 summit, could be achieved more quickly using city digital twins—working virtual replicas (复制品) that help track, manage and reduce environmental damage rapidly.
The United Nations says cities, the most suitable subjects, which occupy less than two percent of the Earth’s surface, are major contributors to climate change, consuming almost 80 percent of the world’s energy and producing more than 60 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Urban areas are forecast to grow by another 2.5 billion people by 2050.
Digital twins look and behave identically in their real-world physical environments. Similar technologies have been in use since NASA’s Apollo moon mission in 1969, where computers and machine replicas were used to test and monitor spacecraft. Virtual 3D city models link to networks of sensors that collect data from buildings, transport, air quality and energy use, to see where emissions can be cut and efficiency improved.
The UK is planning a kind of national digital twins that will connect digital replicas managing buildings, factories, and the other infrastructure nationwide. And that could lead to entire virtual world online, part of a virtual reality space proposed by tech companies.
Research shows that digital twins can save cities more than $280 billion globally by 2030 through more efficient urban planning. A provider of digital twins, Cityzenith, believes that net zero deadlines could be achieved 15 years early if the world’s 100 biggest cities use the technology to remove carbon. “They are the perfect tool for managing and accelerating the energy transition,” said CEO Michael Jansen. “We could get to net zero emissions globally by 2035.”
In the US, the Digital Twin Consortium is working to standardize how digital twins are built and share data. Big tech companies around the world have developed software for replicating cities, including a district of Berlin, the island nation of Singapore, and the entire city of Shanghai in China.
12. What are city digital twins used to do?
A.Decorate cities. | B.Change cities’ climate. |
C.Popularize urban technology. | D.Reduce urban carbon emissions. |
13. Why are cities chosen for the use of digital twins?
A.They occupy most of the Earth’s surface. |
B.They consume little of the world’s energy. |
C.They produce little of solid waste pollution. |
D.They contribute most to the greenhouse effect. |
14. Why is the Apollo moon mission mentioned in the text?
A.To prove the accuracy of network data. |
B.To explain the practical use of digital twins. |
C.To tell us the importance of the space tasks. |
D.To show the difficulty of urban construction. |
15. What can we learn about city digital twins from the last two paragraphs?
A.They are promising. | B.They are unrecognizable. |
C.They lack research funding. | D.They have reached a standard level. |