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Topics: Science, Australia, Technology
Aisha Nozari
An enormous ‘black box’ has been built in remote Tasmania in anticipation of the end of the world.
A collaboration between researchers at the University of Tasmania and creative agency Clemenger BBDO, Earth's Black Box looks like something straight out of 2001: A Space Odyssey and is designed to ‘record every step we take towards catastrophe’.
Earth's Black Box captures data relating to planet-threatening factors such as climate change in the hopes that one day future societies will be able to piece together exactly what happened to our world.
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Earth's Black Box’s website states: “Unless we dramatically transform our way of life, climate change and other man-made perils will cause our civilisation to crash.
“Earth’s Black Box will record every step we take towards this catastrophe. Hundreds of data sets, measurements and interactions relating to the health of our planet will be continuously collected and safely stored for future generations.”
The statement continues: “The purpose of the device is to provide an unbiased account of the events that lead to the demise of the planet, hold accountability for future generations and inspire urgent action.
“How the story ends is completely up to us. Only one thing is certain, your actions, inactions and interactions are now being recorded.”
Construction on Earth's Black Box was completed this year, and speaking about the project, Jim Curtis, executive creative director at marketing agency Clemenger BBDO, told ABC: “The idea is if the Earth does crash as a result of climate change, this indestructible recording device will be there for whoever's left to learn from that.
"It's also there to hold leaders to account – to make sure their action or inaction is recorded," he added.
The structure is made from 7.5-centimetre-thick steel and has been erected in an undisclosed location on the Australian island.
Earth's Black Box is ‘built to outlive us all’, according to Jonathan Kneebone of artistic collective The Glue Society, which is also involved with the project.
Filled with storage drives and with its own internet source, Earth's Black Box will be powered by solar panels fitted onto its roof and batteries will offer backup power storage.
Earth's Black Box will collect measurements of ocean acidification, land and sea temperatures, human population, energy consumption, military spending and atmospheric CO2 as well as contextual data including social media posts and newspaper headlines.
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