updateThe ‘doomsday clock‘, which tells us how close we are to the end of the world, remains at 90 seconds to midnight. A new balance sheet is drawn up every year. Since last year, the hands have been at 90 seconds to 12 – that’s the closest the clock has ever been to midnight.
The doomsday clock – which was created in 1947 – symbolizes all developments that pose a threat to humanity, such as wars, nuclear weapons, the climate crisis and artificial intelligence. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the organization behind the clock, warned last year that we were “never so close to global catastrophe”. They then moved the time to a minute and a half before midnight, after the clock had been set to 100 seconds before noon for three years.
On Tuesday, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists CEO Rachel Bronson announced that the clock will remain at 90 seconds to 12. “Make no mistake: turning the clock back 90 seconds to midnight is not an indication that the world is stable. On the contrary,” a statement said firmly. “Governments and communities around the world must take urgent action. And the Bulletin remains hopeful – and inspired – as younger generations lead the way.”
“Clock can move away from midnight”
“Ominous trends continue to point the world toward global catastrophe. The war in Ukraine and the widespread and growing dependence on nuclear weapons increase the risk of nuclear escalation,” Bulletin said. “China, Russia and the United States are all spending enormous sums to expand or modernize their nuclear arsenals, increasing the ever-present danger of nuclear war through mistake or miscalculation.”
The climate also poses a threat. “In 2023, Earth experienced its hottest year on record and millions of people around the world were affected by massive floods, forest fires and other climate-related disasters.” The organization remains hopeful: “The world can be made safer. The clock can move away from midnight.”
Time notation
However, timekeeping is not an exact science. Scientists mainly hope to send a warning to the world. The doomsday clock must alert us to the dangers that must be addressed if we want to survive on our planet.
In 1991, just after the fall of the Iron Curtain, the clock was furthest from midnight. The hands then stood at 17 minutes to 12. US President George Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev announced that year that they would reduce their nuclear arsenals.
LOOK. A Russian propagandist warned in November that nuclear war is “inevitable.”
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