There is a strange structure hidden on the remote Australian island of Tasmania that is about to record the end of the world.
The project, called Earth's Black Box, is a giant steel installation, filled with hard drives powered by solar panels, each of them documenting and preserving a stream of real-time scientific updates and analysis on the gloomiest issues the world faces.
If a future society discovers the archive, they will be able to piece together what happened to our planet.
Climate change and other man-made perils will cause our civilization to crash unless we dramatically transform our way of life, according to the Earth's Black Box website.
The Black Box will record every step we take towards 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.
There is a black box on Earth. The Earth's Black Box.
The box, which evokes the brutalist design of Norway's famous 'Doomsday Vault', actually serves a somewhat complimentary purpose.
Earth's Black Box is an ongoing record of the world's trajectory towards a dire situation, and is designed to protect a vital backup of the world's seeds.
The executive creative director at the marketing agency said that if the Earth does crash as a result of climate change, the recording device will be there for anyone to learn from.
To make sure their action is recorded, it's also there to hold leaders to account.
The box's systems are already partially active, in that they are 'live recording' environmental updates in, but it is not yet finished.
The makers of the box say that the installation is intended to help mankind escape from scenarios of doom and gloom, with the hope that it will encourage today's society to act more responsible in regards to climate action and environmental stewardship.
There is a black box on Earth. The Earth's Black Box.
The Glue Society's Jonathan Kneebone told the ABC that when people know they're being recorded, it has an influence on what they say.
"That's our role, to be something in the back of everyone's mind."
Earth's Black Box is a PR stunt designed to capture people's attention, but there's no doubt the world needs more attention and action on these issues, no matter how those eyeballs are secured.
In a world where ice sheets are destabilizing in response to unprecedented levels of global warming, where greenhouse gas emissions are headed the wrong way, where water is running out, and where animals are vanishing with such speed that scientists say we've entered our planet's sixth mass extinction, this is
The Earth's Black Box is intended 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.
The story is up to us.
