The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists announced Tuesday that the hands of the Doomsday Clock are just 90 seconds to midnight or the apocalypse. This is the closest humanity has come to a catastrophe in the history of the clock.
This is largely, but not exclusively, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the increased risk of nuclear escalation. The hands also moved on the continuing threats posed by the climate crisis and the collapse of global norms and institutions needed to mitigate the risks associated with advancing technologies and biological threats such as COVID-19.
“We live in a time of unprecedented danger, and the time on the Doomsday Clock reflects this reality,” said Rachel Bronson, president and CEO of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. “The US government, its NATO allies and Ukraine have a multitude of channels for dialogue; we urge leaders to explore them all for maximum ability to turn back the clock,” she added.
What is the Doomsday Clock?
The Doomsday Clock (in English Doomsday Clockalso called Doomsday Clock) is a symbolic clock that emerged in 1947. It was created by the board of directors of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (Bulletin of Atomic Scientists) from the University of Chicago, United States.
He uses the analogy that the human species has always been “within minutes of midnight,” where midnight represents the “total and catastrophic destruction” of the species. Originally, the relationship represented the threat of global nuclear war, but for some time it has included climate change, disease, and all new developments in science that could inflict irreparable damage on humanity.
The clock was updated in 2018 to set the hands at 2 minutes to midnight. It was until January 2020 that it was brought forward 20 seconds due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, in January 2023, it was advanced another 10 seconds, leaving 90 seconds for midnight, which is the closest time to 12 o’clock in its history.
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