‘Doomsday Clock’ moves closer to midnight than ever before. Here’s why
Scientists behind the ‘Doomsday Clock’ set it to 85 seconds to midnight, the theoretical point of annihilation
The “Doomsday Clock” representing how near humanity is to catastrophe on Tuesday moved closer than ever to midnight as concerns mount on nuclear weapons, climate change and disinformation.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which set up the metaphorical clock at the start of the Cold War, moved its time to 85 seconds to midnight - four seconds closer than a year ago.
The announcement came a year into US President Donald Trump’s second term, in which he has shattered norms - ordering unilateral attacks abroad, deploying force at home in defiance of local authorities and withdrawing from a slew of international organisations.
Russia, China, the United States and other major countries have “become increasingly aggressive, adversarial and nationalistic,” said a statement announcing the clock shift, determined after consultations with a board that includes eight Nobel laureates.
Doomsday Clock moves closer to midnight, one year into Trump’s term
“Hard-won global understandings are collapsing, accelerating a winner-takes-all great power competition and undermining the international cooperation critical to reducing the risks of nuclear war, climate change, the misuse of biotechnology, the potential threat of artificial intelligence and other apocalyptic dangers.”