Earth's new 'Black Box' will be around after our end, keeping records

Much like the black box found on aircraft to keep a safe record of its functions in the event of a disaster, a new black box will keep a record of the Earth in case of a calamity.

The new project, dubbed Earth's Black Box, is a collaboration between the University of Tasmania, Clemenger BBDO, and The Glue Society. Construction is expected to begin in early 2022 and intends to record all of the relevant data that could contribute to the world's collapse, keeping it safe in that event.

"Unless we dramatically transform our way of life, climate change and other man-made perils will cause our civilization to crash," reads the Earth's Black Box website.

The box will be located in the remote landscape of Tasmania, an Australian island state. It will be approximately 33 feet (10 meters) long, with an exterior of 3-inch thick (7.6 centimeters) steel. Full of hard drives, it will store and record climate-related information, including temperature measurements, data on ocean acidification, and land use. The box will also house many other data sets relating to military spending, energy consumption, human population growth, and even news headlines, social media posts, and climate change conferences.

"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," said Jim Curtis, executive creative director at Clemenger BBDO.