In a post-apocalyptic future, should civilization as we know it collapse from environmental catastrophe, a new crop of "intelligent" beings might not have to search for clues — a recording of our demise will be readily available in Earth's Black Box, planned for a 2022 build in Australia.
Maybe far-fetched and just a pipe dream, but according to c/net, University of Tasmania researchers, along with marketing communications company Clemenger BBDO, is about to build a black box "the size of a city bus, made of 3-inch-thick steel and topped with solar panels." The goal of the structure is to record "every step we take" as we move closer to global collapse. The recorder "is already in beta and has already begun collecting information at its website."
From c/net:
An indestructible "black box" is set to be built upon a granite plain on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia, in early 2022. …
Its interior will be filled with "storage drives" that gather climate change-related data such as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and average temperatures. In addition, using an algorithm, it will scour the web for tweets, posts, news and headlines.
The developers estimate that storage will run out in 30 to 50 years, according to the ABC. There are plans to increase the storage capacity and provide a more long-term solution, but it's unclear how the structure will be maintained — how its solar panels might be replaced before the end of civilization, how well those drives hold up after decades and how impervious the vault will be to vandalism or sabotage. Its remote location, around four hours from the closest major city, is one deterrent — but will that be enough?
And from abc.net.au:
Broadly, it will be collecting two types of data:
• It will collect measurements of land and sea temperatures, ocean acidification, atmospheric CO2, species extinction, land-use changes, as well as things like human population, military spending and energy consumption.
• And it will collect contextual data such as newspaper headlines, social media posts, and news from key events like Conference of the Parties (COP) climate change meetings.
"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," Mr [Jim] Curtis [from Clemenger BBDO] says.
