The world is closer than ever to destruction, according to the Doomsday Clock, an attempt to warn world leaders and civilians of man-made global catastrophe by the Chicago-based Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
The Bulletin’s Doomsday Clock moved up one second, now set at 89 seconds to midnight, which represents global catastrophe, the organization announced Tuesday. The threat of climate change, nuclear conflict and biological hazards are some of the reasons the Bulletin’s experts decided to move the clock up.
In its 78-year history, this is the closest the clock has been to midnight.
It’s the first time the clock has been moved since 2023 when the clock was moved from 100 seconds to midnight to 90 seconds .
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists was founded in 1945 by Albert Einstein, J. Robert Oppenheimer and University of Chicago scientists. The Doomsday Clock was created in 1947 to conceptualize the threat to human existence and the planet.
Each year, experts on the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board gather to discuss progress and destruction in their area of expertise, and then decide where to set the clock.
This year, major topics that contributed to moving the clock up included the threat of nuclear war and major world powers such as Russia, China and the U.S. moving to expand their “nuclear arsenal,” board member Manpreet Sethi said in a news release.
“[The U.S.] seems inclined to expand its nuclear arsenal and adopt a posture that reinforces the belief that ‘limited’ use of nuclear weapons can be managed. Such misplaced confidence could have us stumble into a nuclear war,” he said.
With the rise of artificial intelligence, scientists raise questions about how the technology can be used responsibly, specifically related to biological threats and military decisions.
“Regulatory control is necessary to ensure it’s used in a positive manner versus negative manner,” board member Suzet McKinney told the Sun-Times.
When the clock is moved forward, it doesn’t always mean something negative has happened, McKinney said, but it could indicate that there hasn’t been as much progress as the experts would like to see. In her field of biological threats, McKinney is pushing for more support for public health agencies.
“At 89 seconds to midnight, there’s not much real estate left,” McKinney said. “Our goal is to really encourage our government and elected leaders to do things that need to be done but also to educate the public and get the word out about what these issues are.”
Board member Robert Socolow warned that not nearly enough progress has been made on climate change.
“Investments to adapt to climate change and cut fossil fuel emissions were way below what is needed to avoid the worst impacts,” Socolow said in the news release. “There were formidable policy headwinds globally: particularly worrisome, electoral campaigns showed climate change to be a low priority in the United States and many other countries.”
The Doomsday Clock is meant to spur government leaders to act on specific issues and urge civilians to pay attention to them.
“As the hands of the clock get ever closer to midnight, we make an impassioned plea to all leaders: now is the time to act together! The existential threats we face can only be addressed through bold leadership and partnership on a global scale,” Juan Manuel Santos, a former president of Colombiam said in the release. “Every second counts.”