The apocalyptic clock was first used in 1947 and has been used ever since to examine the likelihood of a man-made catastrophe – and it says humanity is still at great risk
Doomsday clock moved to 89 seconds to midnight
Officials have updated the doomsday clock and it has been moved closer to midnight – meaning the risk of humanity creating a man-made catastrophe is even greater than ever.
The apocalyptic clock was first used in 1947 and has been used ever since to examine the likelihood of a man-made catastrophe. The clock last measured at 90 seconds to midnight in 2023 and remained in the same position in 2024. Scientists earlier said that the reason it is so close wasdue to the Ukraine war and new nuclear arms. Since 2007, there have been new risk factors to consider such as AI.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which is a team created by the Manhattan Project scientists at the University of Chicago, shared the grim news today, determining that we are now 89 seconds to midnight.
Factors taken on board include climate change and the continuous threat of nuclear weapons, as well as the increased threat of another war and more global health pandemics.
Speaking after the new time was revealed, former Colombian president and Bulletin member, Juan Manuel Santos, said: “The clock is a stark diagnosis of our reality – we stand closer to human catastrophe ta ever before.
“2024 was the hottest year on record, destroying lives across the globe. The only effective response is for nations to come together. This is why it’s alarming that President Trump has withdrawn from the Paris Climate Agreement.”
He also said America’s withdrawal form the World Health Organisation is “another worrisome decision that will have a huge ramifications for the global health security”.
Introducing the announcement today, Daniel Holz, the Bulletin Science and Security Board chair and professor at the University of Chicago, said the clock was moved to 89 seconds to midnight due to a lack of progress on global challenges including nuclear risk, climate change, and biological threat.
“The countries that possess nuclear weapons are increasing the size of all of their arsenals, spending hundreds of billions of dollars in weapons that can destroy civilisation many times over”, Holz said. “Meanwhile arms control treaties are in tatters and there are active conflicts involving nuclear powers.
“The world’s attempts to deal with climate change remain inadequate… 2023 was the hottest year on record, by far, and 2024 was even hotter.”
Last year, the Bulletin warned that China, Russia and the US were trying to “expand or modernise their nuclear arsenals”. They stressed there was an added danger of a nuclear war happening due to a “mistake or miscalculation”. He also said the threat of catastrophe has increased thanks to advancements in an ‘array of disruptive technologies’ including biotechnology and AI have ‘far outpaced policy, regulation, and understanding of consequences’.
But there is some good news. Professor Holz later said “there is action that can be done to turn the clock back” during questions, where he was quizzed on whether it was too late for humanity to claw its way back to safety,
Robert Rosner, former chair of the Bulletin’s science and security board, commented: “Past experience has taught us, even during the most dismal periods of the Cold War, we can as a people come together to address our challenges. It is now high time to do so again.”
The clock’s hands inch nearer to the fateful hour, with midnight symbolising a point of no return for our planet. Currently, they sit at their most perilous position ever recorded.
Rachel Bronson, the organisation’s CEO, explained: “When the clock is at midnight, that means there’s been some sort of nuclear exchange or catastrophic climate change that’s wiped out humanity. We never really want to get there and we won’t know it when we do.”
The Doomsday Clock was at its furthest point from midnight back in 1991, marking the official end of the Cold War and the signing of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty by both the United States and Russia.
The official website says: “The Doomsday Clock is a design that warns the public about how close we are to destroying our world with dangerous technologies of our own making. It is a metaphor, a reminder of the perils we must address if we are to survive on the planet.”
