The world is still in a “time of unprecedented danger”.
Scientists updated the Doomsday Clock on Tuesday, revealing they are keeping it at 90 seconds to midnight as in 2023, the theoretical point of annihilation.
The unchanged clock – a symbolic timepiece showing how close the world is to the end – has been attributed to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, an acceleration of the nuclear arms race and advances in AI.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which decides where the hands lie, said it is the closest global catastrophe ever.
Scientists updated the Doomsday Clock Scientists on Tuesday, revealing it will remain 90 seconds to midnight – just like it will in 2023
Rachel Bronson, president and CEO of the Bulletin, said: “Flashpoints around the world pose the risk of nuclear escalation, climate change is already causing death and destruction, and disruptive technologies like AI and biological research are advancing faster than their protective measures.”
She added that leaving the symbolic clock unchanged from last year is “not an indication that the world is stable.”
Every January since 1947, the Bulletin has noted how close humanity is to annihilation by turning off the electricity.
Founded by US scientists involved in the Manhattan Project, which led to the first nuclear weapon in World War II, the Doomsday Clock is a symbolic countdown of how close humanity is to completing a global catastrophe.
According to Eugene Rabinowitch, the first editor of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, artist Martyl Langsdorf was commissioned to make the clock and given the task of creating an image that would “bring men to their senses.”
The Doomsday Clock was introduced in 1947 with a time measurement of seven minutes to midnight. Today there are only 90 seconds until midnight
Rachel Bronson, the Bulletin's president and CEO, said keeping the symbolic clock unchanged from last year “is not a sign that the world is stable.”
Time is determined by the group of scientists who study events during the year.
The group asks whether humanity is safer or at greater risk this year than last year, asking the same question but comparing it to the more than 75 years the Doomsday Clock has existed.
And so they determined where the time would stand.
Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine, which marks its second anniversary next month, has ratcheted up tensions with the West to their most dangerous levels since the Cold War.
“A permanent end to Russia's war in Ukraine appears to be a long way off, and Russia's use of nuclear weapons in that conflict remains a serious possibility.” “Over the past year, Russia has sent numerous worrying nuclear signals,” Bronson said.
She further explained that Putin's announcement that he would use nuclear weapons also contributed to the bulletin's decision.
In addition to the passage of a law in the Russian Parliament in October 2023 that withdraws ratification of the global treaty banning nuclear weapons tests.
The war in Israel was also cited as a factor.
The war in Gaza began on October 7 when Hamas gunmen launched a surprise attack against Israel, killing more than 1,400 people and taking over 220 hostage.
The unprecedented strike reignited the ongoing war between the two nations.
According to the Ministry of Health, there have been more than 25,000 deaths in Gaza.
“As a nuclear state, Israel’s actions are clearly relevant to the doomsday discussion,” Bronson said.
“Of particular concern is that the conflict in the region could further escalate, leading to a larger conventional war and attracting more nuclear or nuclear-armed powers.”
When the clock was created, the greatest threat came from nuclear weapons. In 2007, climate change was weighted as a factor for the first time.
Climate change was also part of the scientists' decision, noting that “the world entered 'clean territory' in terms of climate impacts last year, with conditions many times exceeding previous extremes.”
The data showed that 2023 was the hottest year on record. The global average temperature reached 58.96°F, about 0.3°F higher than the previous record holder – 2016.
“Lack of action on climate change threatens billions of lives,” Bronson said during the live broadcast of the event.
Bronson also raised concerns about biological threats in the wake of the revolution in life sciences and related technologies.
“Biological research to prevent future pandemics has proven useful, but also carries the risk of causing one,” she said.
“And recent advances in artificial intelligence raise a host of questions about the control of a technology that could enhance or threaten civilization in countless ways.”