Doomsday Clock Moves Closer to Midnight Amid Global Threats
For the first time in three years, the Doomsday Clock has been moved forward by one second, now set at 89 seconds to midnight—the closest it has ever been. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS) made the announcement on Tuesday, referencing escalating global threats.
Daniel Holz, chair of the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board, explained the reasoning behind the decision. “It is the determination of the science and security board of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists that the world has not made sufficient progress on existential risks threatening all of humanity. We thus move the clock forward.”
The Doomsday Clock, first established in 1947 by scientists including Albert Einstein and J. Robert Oppenheimer, serves as a symbolic warning about humanity’s proximity to self-destruction. While it originally focused on nuclear threats, the Bulletin now considers factors such as climate change, artificial intelligence, biological risks, and misinformation.
Among the primary concerns this year is the ongoing war in Ukraine, which the Bulletin warns "could become nuclear at any moment because of a rash decision or through accident or miscalculation." The escalating conflict in the Middle East was also cited as a growing risk that "threatens to spiral out of control into a wider war without warning."
The Bulletin emphasized the lack of progress in addressing climate change, noting that "most governments fail to enact the financing and policy initiatives necessary to halt global warming." Emerging biological threats, such as the spread of infectious diseases, also remain a major concern.
Technological advancements have added new risks. Holz warned that "systems that incorporate artificial intelligence in military targeting have been used in Ukraine and the Middle East, and several countries are moving to integrate artificial intelligence into their militaries." He also pointed to the rise of misinformation and conspiracy theories as factors that "degrade the communication ecosystem and increasingly blur the line between truth and falsehood."
The Bulletin stated that the responsibility to reverse course largely rests on the world's major powers. "The US, China, and Russia have the collective power to destroy civilization," the statement read, urging these nations to take immediate action.
Despite the grim warning, the Bulletin maintains that progress is possible. In 1991, the clock was moved back to 17 minutes before midnight following the signing of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty between the US and the Soviet Union. Bulletin President Rachel Bronson remains hopeful. "We at the Bulletin believe that because humans created these threats, we can reduce them," she said.
The Doomsday Clock has never reached midnight, and the goal is to keep it that way. However, the Bulletin warns that every second of inaction increases the likelihood of global catastrophe.
