Earth's Black Box is a project led by marketing firm Clemenger BBDO and the University of Tasmania. It's pictured here in an artist's impression
The exact location of the box is unspecified, but it will reportedly be situated about four hours from the city of Hobart, somewhere near the western coast, between Strahan and Queenstown
'Unless we dramatically transform our way of life, climate change and other man-made perils will cause our civilization to crash,' it says. 'Earth's Black Box will record every step we take towards this catastrophe.
'Hundreds of data sets, measurements and interactions relating to the health of our planet will be continuously collected and safely stored for future generations.'
Developers estimate it will have enough capacity to store data for the next 30 to 50 years, which is a key period for our quest to contain climate change.
Once active, the Black Box will also be recording 'backwards' as well as forwards – in other words, obtaining data that's dated months before it was switched on.
Its developers are as yet unable to provide an exact description of how human survivors could access its data post-apocalypse.
Earth's Black Box is a project led by marketing firm Clemenger BBDO in collaboration with the University of Tasmania
It's possible anyone who comes across it will have to have the 'capability of understanding and interpreting basic symbolism,' the developers told ABC.
An electronic reader could potentially reactivate the box if it has entered a long-term dormant state as a result of catastrophe – for example, a 'Mad Max' type post-apocalyptic situation.
It'll be built to survive any kind of climate catastrophe, but until then it could just be a tourist attraction for rural Tasmania, or a marketing stunt on behalf of Clemenger BBDO.
Either way, scientists are routinely predicting a 'climate apocalypse' could occur in as little as the next 100 years due to humanity failing to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
It will capture scientific data on temperature, sea levels and atmospheric CO2 to provide a document to human survivors of how humanity failed to avoid catastrophic climate change. Pictured, Australian fire crews extinguish a fire that crossed the Monaro Highway near Bredbo, New South Wales, February 2, 2020
Rising temperatures, dwindling food supplies and biodiversity loss brought on by climate changes could trigger global systemic collapse.
According to a landmark UN report earlier this year, Earth is likely to warm by 2.7°F within the next 20 years – a decade earlier than previously expected.
Last week, Climate Change Committee said the world does 'not come close' to achieving the aims of the Paris Agreement to limit climate change.
This Paris Agreement, adopted in 2016, aims to hold an increase in global average temperature to below 3.6ºF (2°C) and pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 2.7°F (1.5°C).
THE PARIS AGREEMENT: A GLOBAL ACCORD TO LIMIT TEMPERATURE RISES THROUGH CARBON EMISSION REDUCTION TARGETS
The Paris Agreement, which was first signed in 2015, is an international agreement to control and limit climate change.
It hopes to hold the increase in the global average temperature to below 2°C (3.6ºF) 'and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C (2.7°F)'.
It seems the more ambitious goal of restricting global warming to 1.5°C (2.7°F) may be more important than ever, according to previous research which claims 25 per cent of the world could see a significant increase in drier conditions.
The Paris Agreement on Climate Change has four main goals with regards to reducing emissions:
1) A long-term goal of keeping the increase in global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels
2) To aim to limit the increase to 1.5°C, since this would significantly reduce risks and the impacts of climate change
3) Governments agreed on the need for global emissions to peak as soon as possible, recognising that this will take longer for developing countries
4) To undertake rapid reductions thereafter in accordance with the best available science
Sylvia showed the aftermaths of Storm Arwen in a video, and said: 'It's been the most terrible night ever. We've had no electricity, and the most terrible winds have ripped our roof to pieces,
'The shelter we've spent so long building has been wrecked, this is some of the sheets of metal that were flying around last night,' she said, showing benches upside-down and said sheets of metal that were lying on the floor. 'It was terrifying and dreadful it's really hard to keep going, really, really hard,' she went on. 'It's a loss for the animals and it's breaking my heart. This is going to cost thousands.'
Dr Scott travelled to the shelter, where he was reporting from, and said: 'The whole country has been battered by Storm Arwen, strong gust of wind up to 90mph, tearing roofs off, bringing down power lines, thousands of people are still waiting to have their electricity put back on.'
But he added the storm had caused great suffering to animals as well. Sylvia gave more insight into what Arwen cost the shelter.
Viewers were touched by the shelter's story and praised the great work it does. Some also swooned over the adorable puppies in its care
'Trees came down, roofs came off and flew across and damaged other things as they went,' she said.
'A mum and her pups had a terrible time because we had no electricity. A puppy died because it got too cold, we had no way of heating them up,' she added. 'And it raged all night and part of the morning, so it was not a two-hour thing, it went on and on and on.'
Sylvia revealed her shelter sustained thousands of pounds worth of damage but said a team has already stepped in to help at a lesser cost.
The shelter normally costs £75,000 to run a month, to cover wages, and relies on the help of thousands of support workers and volunteers, Scott revealed.
During his visit, viewers were introduced to Libby, a female dog who got injured in the storm and can no longer feed her puppies.
Sylvia has been looking after puppies, pictured, who had a 'terrible time' during the storm and need to be bottle fed every two hours
Holding a tiny puppy, pictured, Dr Scott said the shelter needed donations to repair the damage
Sylvia explained it was one of Libby's pups who died during the storm, and said the other puppies had to be bottle fed every two hours, which had been challenging for the team.
Another dog was filmed with her puppies and Sylvia revealed she had been bred during Covid-19 by a man who hoped to make money by selling puppies.
'They knew they could make a lot of money and they decided to breed her, they did breed her, she's had about ten puppies.
'Somebody told them the market dropped down on puppies and they wouldn't be able to be sold and not sold over Christmas because they were too young anyway, so he didn't want them and so he gave them to us, she's too young to have been bred anyways,' Sylvia said, holding two of the dog's puppies.
Dr Scott said he was surprised to see that people were returning puppies to shelters.
Sylvia, right, told Dr Scott it would cost thousands of pounds to keep the centre afloat after Storm Arwen
'People have got a dog either over Covid thinking they could give it time, but then they've being offered a job or better job and decided money is more important than the dog they took on,' Sylvia said.
'And it should have been for life, like a marriage, not just for Covid or Christmas, it's forever' she added.
She said there are lots of things people can do to help Many Tears recover from the storm, including becoming home checkers. But she admitted 'cold hard cash' would really help the centre stay afloat.
Viewers were touched by Sylvia's plea, and swooned over the adorable puppies in her care. 'Those puppies, give them all to me,' one said.
'Awww they are doing a wonderful job,' another said, while one person wrote on Twitter: 'Many Tears is a wonderful dog rescue. 'Without sounding like Cruella De Vil, I want those puppies,' one joked.
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