The Doomsday Clock is now set at 90 seconds to midnight. (Image: francoisdm/Twitter)
The Doomsday Clock, a symbolic representation of the likelihood of a global catastrophe, such as nuclear war, climate change, or other major threats to humanity, was moved 90 seconds to midnight this year, the closest it has ever been to the “end of the world” due to what the scientists say “largely but not exclusively” for the Russian war in Ukraine.
It is maintained by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a non-profit organization of scientists and experts. The climate change crisis as well as health threats such as the COVID-19 pandemic also contributed to the clock being turned forward.
The closer the clock is to midnight, the greater the perceived threat to the world. The clock has been adjusted 24 times – seven times forward and 17 times backward - since its inception in 1947, 76 years ago.
“We are living in a time of unprecedented danger, and the Doomsday Clock time reflects that reality,” Rachel Bronson, president and CEO of Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists said in the announcement on Tuesday.
“Ninety seconds to midnight is the closest the Clock has ever been set to midnight, and it’s a decision our experts do not take lightly. The US government, its NATO allies and Ukraine have a multitude of channels for dialogue; we urge leaders to explore all of them to their fullest ability to turn back the Clock,” Bronson added and urged for amends to turn back the clock.
Watch the announcement here:
To learn more about this decision, read the 2023 Doomsday Clock Statement: https://t.co/13Y7tZUnZy pic.twitter.com/sVNGHdasGU
— Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (@BulletinAtomic) January 24, 2023
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists organisation was founded in 1945 by Albert Einstein and other scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project, which produced the first nuclear weapons during the World War II.
The Doomsday Clock was then created two years later as warning of the dangers of a nuclear war. It was originally set to seven minutes before midnight.
In 2020, the clock was moved 100 seconds to midnight – the closest it ever – until this year’s 10 more seconds forward.
The farthest the clock has ever been from the “end of the world” was in 1991, as the United States and the then Soviet Union signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty — ending the Cold War and reducing the threat of nuclear war.
