Doomsday Clock

➡️ The Doomsday Clock by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists - Time is running out!

The Doomsday Clock is a symbolic representation designed by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists to convey the urgency of existential threats to humanity, particularly nuclear warfare and climate change.

Updated in January 2025, the clock was moved one second closer to midnight. Now at 89 seconds, in a chilling warning, this is the closest we have ever been to self-destruction.

"The world is already perilously close to the precipice, a move of even a single second should be taken as an indication of extreme danger and an unmistakable warning that every second of delay in reversing course increases the probability of global disaster" - The Bulletin Statement, 2025.

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For the last two years, the clock was set to 90 seconds. It was last moved in 2023 when the clock hands were moved from 100 seconds to midnight to 90 seconds. Since its creation, the Doomsday Clock's minute hand has been moved 25 times.

In 1947, the clock was originally set at seven minutes to midnight. The farthest setting from midnight was 17 minutes in 1991. The end of the Cold War and the U.S. and Soviet Union's ratification of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty put humanity in its most stable position for decades.

The idea was created by globally conscious scientists who saw the immediate need for public reckoning in the wake of the horrific Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings. The Bulletin is an independent, nonprofit media organisation that set out a mission to encourage the scientific community to become involved in shaping national and international nuclear policy and to raise public awareness of the threats which face humanity.

➡️ The Bulletins' main focuses are -

• The nuclear arms race

• The climate crisis

• Future pandemics and infectious diseases

• Environmental destruction

• Artificial Intelligence

• The conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, including the War in Gaza

These issues are all connected in that they were all manmade. The closer the clock hands are to midnight, the more dire the global situation is deemed to be. It serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing responsibilities of world leaders and citizens to foster a safer, healthier, more sustainable, and more peaceful world.

The decision to move the hands is made by the Bulletin's Science and Security Board, which includes experts in various fields such as nuclear technology, climate science, and biosecurity. Its position considers many factors, including the current status of world nuclear weapons stockpiles, political tensions, terrorism, the state of international diplomacy, environmental and climate changes, war posturing, and developments in emerging technologies.

The Doomsday Clock is a powerful visual metaphor, public awareness tool, and a reminder of how fragile global security and our future on this planet is. Its annual updates garner significant media attention, foster dialogue, and help to influence public discussion.

Author: Rachael Mellor, 28.01.25 licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0

For further reading on the Doomsday Clock see below ⬇️