Our earth is a million years old and still has so many mysteries yet to be solved. Even with the technology we have today, scientists and researchers still have a hard time understanding the nuanced nature of our planet. Therefore, they decided to record the events in Earth’s Black Box so that they could at least get a clue.
The black box from airplanes and the concept of the Earth’s Black Box are quite similar but not the same. Data recorded in airplanes can help to discover the reasons behind a crash. Similarly, the box is equipped with the same materials and technology to track the Earth’s vital signals. This device collects the data of every moment on seismic activity, temperature changes, weather patterns, and ocean currents.
A steel vault, known as Earth’s Black Box, will be put in a remote part of Australia. It will create an archive that could be critical to piecing together the missteps, its creators say, should humanity be destroyed by climate change. https://t.co/9K4kcISthc
— The New York Times (@nytimes) December 10, 2021
Recording the world’s climate
During last year’s Glasgow Climate Change Conference, world leaders discussed the impact of anthropogenic climate change. The intention was to identify the factors contributing to the situation and alter the consequences. Artists, architects, and researchers collaborated to develop a way to document the apocalypse and store data in an enormous monolith. This produced the Earth’s Black Box, which works as a time capsule and an art installation. Its main purpose is to record the historical and diplomatic responses of civilization, as well as the physical changes resulting from global warming.
Australian communications firm Clemenger BBDO, an artist group called Glue Society, and the University of Tasmania are working together on the project to build the Earth’s Black Box. It is a 10-meter vault designed with 76-millimeter highly durable fire and water-resistant thick reinforced steel. The device looks like a steel vault the size of a school bus constructed and is located in a remote part of Tasmania. The construction is almost done, and it has started to record events.
Data for the future
“At its core, the box is intended to be a symbol of the catastrophic situation we find ourselves in,” says Jim Curtis, executive creative director at Clemenger BBDO. He also said that it is highly important to hold our politicians accountable by reminding them, as an unmissable structure, that their actions or inactions will be recorded for future generations.
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Currently, two types of data are recorded in the Earth’s Black Box: primary and contextual. Vital indicators — such as daily temperature and amount of carbon dioxide in the air and sea levels — are recorded in primary data. Meanwhile, the contextual data encompasses various topics. This includes official records, social media posts, journals, and even responses of global policymakers to climate emergencies.
While many questions remain about the black box, including how future generations would decipher it, it is a powerful reminder of the importance of addressing climate change. Curtis shares his thoughts about the idea of the project, saying, “We are at a crucial juncture when it comes to fighting climate change, and it felt like there was a continued lack of accountability.” Natural disasters, such as hurricanes, tsunamis, and landslides, can be predicted using the recorded events of the black box. This information is invaluable to keep our lives and infrastructure or to take precautions to evacuate on time and to arrange relief.
YouTube: Earth’s ‘indestructible’ black box will hold climate change data, track progress
Photo credit: The feature image is symbolic and has been done by Christopher Isak with Midjourney for TechAcute.
Source: United Nations Climate Change / Joanna Thompson (How Stuff Works)
