Climate crisis
A black box should at some point provide information about how humanity became extinct
The black box is to be installed in Australia in 2022
© Earth’s Black Box
Climate change threatens humanity. Should it also mean their end at some point, a black box should document how it could come about. Researchers have already started collecting data.
Ten meters high, four meters long and three meters wide, made of supposedly indestructible metal. This is what the device looks like that will one day keep the secrets of mankind when our species no longer exists. A group of scientists, artists and architects designed the monolith as a so-called “black box of the earth” in order to document the end of human civilization. It is to be set up in a remote part of the Australian state of Tasmania.
The principle is similar to that of a flight recorder. This shows what happened before the accident after a plane crash. Likewise, the black box in Australia is supposed to collect data showing how man-made climate change could develop into a potential catastrophe. And it should show whoever finds it – whoever or whatever it may be – that humanity knew very well what was in store for them.
Black Box aims to collect data on climate change
The box should be operated with solar cells and have an internet connection. When it is ready by the middle of next year, it will be fed with various climate data that will document changes in average temperatures, carbon dioxide pollution in the atmosphere or the decline in biodiversity on the planet. But it’s not just about pure scientific knowledge. Media reports on the topic of the climate crisis are also collected. The goal: The initiators want to show that the governments of the world had all the information they need to recognize and prevent the approaching disaster.
According to Jim Curtis, creative director of the Australian advertising agency that developed the project, the purpose of the black box is to remind political leaders of their responsibilities. “If civilization is destroyed, this box will survive with a completely objective history of the data,” he told the New York Times. The group has already started collecting data, even if the metal monolith is not yet completed.
Climate researchers believe that human extinction is unlikely
Even if the situation seems dramatic and climate change continues to escalate, Curtis hopes that the newly developed black box will never be opened. He also compares it to a flight recorder – and the planet earth to an airplane. “I’m on the plane and I don’t want it to crash,” said Curtis. “I really hope it’s not too late yet.” The message of the project: It is high time to act – but the disaster can still be prevented.
However, some scientists consider the premise of the initiative – a complete destruction of human civilization – to be overdramatized. Climate researcher Noah Diffenbaugh told the New York Times that while the effects of climate change are severe, there is “very little evidence that global warming threatens the survival of human species.” If greenhouse emissions are not reduced, there will likely be severe flooding or extreme heat in some areas of the world. However, Diffenbaugh considers the extinction of the human species to be very unlikely.
It is also unclear who should actually open the box in such a case – and how they should evaluate and understand the data, should that actually happen. The black box, which will soon be in the Australian wasteland, is more a symbol for the present than a device with utility value for the future.
Sources: Earth’s black box / “New York Times” / ABC