The apocalypse is nearing, at least according to atomic scientists and their Doomsday Clock. On Tuesday, Jan. 23, the science-oriented nonprofit organization, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, set the Doomsday Clock to 90 seconds to midnight for the second year.
This is the closest to the hour of midnight the clock has ever been in its 77 years, with midnight representing the hour when the Earth will become unlivable. The scientists set the clock each year based on what they call “existential” risks to the planet and humans. The group said this year, the concerns were centered on the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, nuclear threats, climate change, and the rise of artificial intelligence.
“The risks of last year continue with unabated veracity and continue to shape this year,” said Rachel Bronson, Bulletin President and CEO. “Today, we once again set the Doomsday Clock to express a continuing and unprecedented level of risk, it is 90 seconds to midnight.”
The atomic scientists said the clock, which was created in 1947, is meant to warn the public that change is needed to keep the world stable. Since its inception, the clock has moved 25 times. It first moved in 1949, from 7 minutes to midnight to 3 minutes to midnight, in response to the Soviet Union testing its first nuclear weapon. Following the Cold War and the signing of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty the clock moved to 17 minutes to midnight, which marks the furthest from midnight the clock has ever been.
“Make no mistake: resetting the Clock at 90 seconds to midnight is not an indication that the world is stable,” Bronson said. “Quite the opposite. It’s urgent for governments and communities around the world to act. And the Bulletin remains hopeful—and inspired—in seeing the younger generations leading the charge.”
