Citing nuclear and climate threats, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists moved the hands of the “Doomsday Clock” to its closest position to midnight in history.
The hands of the clock indicate how close the scientists believe the world is to the end of civilization. Since 1947, the clock has been a symbolic weathervane for the state of the world and is adjusted up or down periodically in response to geopolitics and changing global norms.
The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists announced on Thursday that the clock has been moved from two minutes to midnight to 100 seconds to midnight, the closest point to “doomsday” in its history.
“Humanity continues to face two simultaneous existential dangers — nuclear war and climate change — that are compounded by a threat multiplier, cyber-enabled information warfare, that undercuts society’s ability to respond,” the scientists said in a press release.
This is the first time that the clock has been gauged by seconds. Rachel Bronson, president and CEO of the Bulletin, said the change was because of the gravity of the world’s situation.
“It is 100 seconds to midnight. We are now expressing how close the world is to catastrophe in seconds — not hours, or even minutes. It is the closest to Doomsday we have ever been in the history of the Doomsday Clock. We now face a true emergency — an absolutely unacceptable state of world affairs that has eliminated any margin for error or further delay,” Bronson said.
Former California Gov. Jerry Brown, who is the executive chairman of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, warned of nuclear rivalry and the threat of climate change.
“Dangerous rivalry and hostility among the superpowers increases the likelihood of nuclear blunder. Climate change just compounds the crisis. If there’s ever a time to wake up, it’s now,” he said.
“We have indeed normalized a very dangerous world in terms of the risks of nuclear warfare and climate change,” — Bob Rosner of the Bulletin’s Science & Security Board#DoomsdayClock pic.twitter.com/fHX7P6PY2S
— Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (@BulletinAtomic) January 23, 2020
