The hands of the symbolic "Doomsday Clock" have moved to just 90 seconds before midnight, indicating a potential onset of nuclear war that could annihilate humanity. On Tuesday, atomic scientists decided to move the clock's hands, citing various factors that heighten the risks of a global catastrophe, such as Russia's stance on nuclear weapons amid its invasion of Ukraine and Israel's nuclear-armed conflict in Gaza, in addition to the urgent climate change crisis.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists stated that they set this new timing to reflect existential threats facing the planet and its inhabitants, including nuclear threats and climate change, as well as destructive technologies like artificial intelligence. Rachel Bronson, the Bulletin's president and executive director, explained that "hot spots of conflict around the world carry the risk of nuclear escalation, and climate change is already causing death and destruction, alongside rapidly advancing destructive technologies like AI that are outpacing the safeguards put in place."
She added in statements to Reuters that the disquieting trends indicate disaster, noting that China, Russia, and the United States are spending vast amounts of money expanding or modernizing their nuclear arsenals, increasing the risk of nuclear war by accident or misjudgment. She also hinted that "the possibility of Russia using nuclear weapons in its war against Ukraine remains significant and serious, especially since Moscow sent many concerning nuclear signals last year."
Regarding the war in Gaza, Bronson stated, "As a nuclear state, Israel's actions are clearly relevant to discussions about the Doomsday Clock, particularly as the conflict could escalate more broadly in the region, leading to a larger war and attracting more nuclear or semi-nuclear powers." Furthermore, she asserted that the world entered an unknown territory in 2023, being the hottest year ever, with greenhouse gas emissions continuing to rise, global sea surface temperatures and those in the North Atlantic reaching record highs, while Antarctic sea ice has hit a new daily low since satellite data began.
It is worth noting that climate change was added as a factor in determining the Doomsday Clock in 2007. The clock was designed by a nonprofit organization based in Chicago in 1947, during the Cold War following World War II, to warn people about how close humanity was to destroying the world.
