Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists' "Doomsday Clock" Announcement
Threats Include Climate Change, Fake News, Biochemical Weapons
Closest to Catastrophe Ever... Some Skepticism Remains
The "Doomsday Clock," which warns of Earth's destruction, has moved 10 seconds closer to midnight, a symbol of catastrophe.
According to the New York Times (NYT) and others on the 24th (local time), the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS), a U.S. nuclear scientists' group, announced that this year's "Doomsday Clock" has been set to "90 seconds to midnight," the closest to destruction ever. The "Doomsday Clock" had been set at "100 seconds to midnight" since 2020, but this time it was moved 10 seconds forward, raising the level of warning. This is due to the increased threat of biochemical weapon use following Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year.
Rachel Bronson, president of BAS, stated, "Russia's nuclear weapon use threat reminded the world how horrific the risks of escalating conflicts?whether accidental, intentional, or due to miscalculation?are," adding, "The possibility of such conflicts spiraling out of control remains high." There was also criticism that the Ukraine war's impact on rising energy prices has led to coal being used as an alternative fuel instead of natural gas, accelerating the climate change crisis.
Founded in 1945 by 13 Nobel laureates including Albert Einstein, BAS sets Earth's destruction time at midnight and annually announces the time on the clock by comprehensively considering nuclear threats and climate change crises. Starting at "7 minutes to midnight" in 1947, it moved to as close as "2 minutes to midnight" in 1953 during the peak of the U.S.-Soviet Cold War, then was pushed back to "17 minutes to midnight" in 1991, considered the end of the Cold War following the signing of the U.S.-Soviet Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.
The clock moved again to "2 minutes to midnight" in 2019 due to the spread of COVID-19, climate change, and ongoing nuclear threats. The last change before this was in 2020, when it was set to "100 seconds to midnight" due to Iran and North Korea's nuclear programs. This time, "90 seconds to midnight" is the closest the clock's second hand has ever been to Earth's destruction. BAS explained, "Factors such as the impact of climate change, misinformation online, and the ongoing threat of pandemics have contributed to moving the clock forward."
However, there is skepticism about the role of the "Doomsday Clock." Brad Evans, a professor at the University of Bath in the UK, told the NYT, "We live in a catastrophic era where the future looks like a crisis environment, but there are many problems with trying to calculate the remaining time," pointing out, "During the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, when the world was undoubtedly close to destruction, the clock did not change." BAS explained, "The clock is not a predictive tool for the future but merely a symbol of threats to humanity."
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