The internet is full of curious projects, but Apocalypse Early Warning System might be one of the most curious. It takes a semi tongue-in-cheek approach to alerting us to the end of the world. It tracks private jet activity around the world and uses it as a rough indicator of whether something catastrophic could be about to happen.
The idea goes like this. If a major global disaster were imminent, the people most likely to know first would be wealthy government officials, business leaders, and others with access to private jets. According to the site’s creator, a sudden spike in private jet departures could be a signal that something unusual is happening.
The website monitors more than 31,500 aircraft and displays a current “Emergency Level” on a scale from 1 to 5. Level 1 means everything looks normal. Level 5 suggests an unusual surge in activity that could warrant attention.
Before you head out to start building your bunker, it’s worth noting that the creator is upfront about the system’s limitations. Large sporting events, political gatherings, holidays, data errors, and other factors can all trigger false alarms. The site isn’t meant to be a scientific prediction tool. It’s more of a quirky experiment that turns publicly available flight data into a real-time curiosity.
Apocalypse Early Warning System is interesting precisely because it takes a novel approach to predicting the end of the world. Instead of tracking missiles, satellites, or government alerts, it watches the behavior of people who might have an incentive to leave first—and those with potential insider knowledge.
At the time of writing, the site sits comfortably at Emergency Level 1. Rest assured that, until Bezos and Zuckerberg are jetting off to their island bunker compounds, you can probably sleep soundly at night. Until then, you can always check the Apocalypse Early Warning System site to be sure.
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