- Chloe Kim
- From BBC News in Washington
6 hours ago
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Doomsday Clock: Is the world closer to the end than ever?
The Doomsday Clock, an initiative aimed at warning humanity of the greatest dangers in existence, is even closer to midnight, which would bring the world closer to catastrophe.
The clock shows 90 seconds to midnight.
The nonprofit Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS), which runs the clock, said the change was mainly due to the war in Ukraine.
The idea of the watch came about in 1947 to warn humanity of the dangers of nuclear war.
The hands of the clock move towards or away from midnight depending on how scientists read existential threats at a given point in time. Midnight marks the theoretical point at which humanity would become extinct.
The decision is made by the BAS Science and Safety Council, which has 13 Nobel Prize winners. This year, due to the war in Ukraine, the ad was available in Ukrainian and Russian in addition to English.
Credit, Getty Images
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Scientists warn of war, climate change, biological threats and disruptive technologies.
The council said the war raises deep questions about how nations interact and shows an apparent deterioration in international behavior.
“Russia’s thinly veiled threats to use nuclear weapons are a reminder to the world that escalating conflict whether by accident, design or misjudgment poses a terrible risk,” the statement said.
In this year’s newsletter, they also mention climate change, biological threats and disruptive technologies.
“The effects of the war are not limited to an increase in the nuclear threat, but are also undermining global efforts to combat climate change,” the statement said.
Countries dependent on Russian oil and gas have already started looking for other natural gas suppliers.
The council says world leaders must continue to identify biological hazards whether natural, accidental or deliberate in origin as the world continues to suffer the fallout from COVID19.
According to the Council, a pandemic is no longer a rare risk.
In 2020, the clock hands were 100 seconds closer to midnight. In the following years 2021 and 2022 the clock hands stayed in the same place.
The hands of the clock were at their furthest just after the end of the Cold War 17 minutes to midnight.
Rachel Bronson, CEO of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, said that while humans create the threats that can lead to extinction, humans themselves can mitigate the risks by becoming involved in solutions.