New Delhi: By the end of this year, a mysterious-looking steel structure will be installed in a remote region of Tasmania, Australia, with a single purpose — to document this planet’s demise. Dubbed ‘Earth’s Black Box’, the installation will record vital information about Earth’s health and store it safely for the inhabitants of the post-acopalypse world.
The project, led by Rouser Lab, an Australian not-for-profit “experimental environmental communications agency, was announced in 2021, coinciding with the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow.
The announcement of a doomsday device had made headlines around the globe, with people looking forward to its installation. But after that, no update was given on it, until now, reported The Guardian.
The creators now aim to install the monolith on a remote airfield in Tasmania in December, after the parts are assembled.
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What the monolith does
The structure gets its name from the flight data recorders, which are called ‘black box’ and record aircraft data and cockpit audio to help agencies investigate aviation accidents.
Earth’s Black Box serves the same purpose, though it’s much bigger and stronger — measuring 16 metres in length and 4 metres in height. It’s made using reinforced steel and concrete, to withstand the events of the apocalypse.
According to the website, the structure will continuously collect data indicating the planet’s health, and document every step “that we take towards this catastrophe”.
The measurements and recordings will be then stored safely for “future generations”.
“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,” the website says.
“How the story ends is completely up to us. Only one thing is certain, your actions, inactions, and interactions are now being recorded”.
The creators also warn that the end of this planet is imminent, unless “we dramatically transform our way of life”.
Jonathan Kneebone, the artistic director of the Earth’s Black Box, told The Guardian that in the five years since the announcement, they had been working on the design, storage systems, and funding models of the project.
For West Coast Mayor Shane Pitt, the monolith could also become a good tourist attraction in the remote region.
“The west coast is certainly not a place that has got high value for anyone to cause major catastrophes,” he said.