Doomsday Clock Ticks One Second Closer to Midnight

 

Former Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and Robert Socolow, professor emeritus of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton University, announced the new position of the Doomsday Clock's minute hand during a press conference in Washington on Tuesday.

Doomsday Clock Moves Closer to Midnight Amid Rising Global Threats

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has moved the hands of the Doomsday Clock to 89 seconds to midnight, the closest it has ever been, warning of escalating dangers from climate change, nuclear conflict, and artificial intelligence misuse.

Announced Tuesday, the change reflects growing existential threats exacerbated by misinformation and geopolitical instability. The symbolic clock, created in 1947 to gauge humanity’s proximity to catastrophe, is set by a board of experts in nuclear security, climate science, and global threats.

“In setting the Clock one second closer to midnight, we send a stark signal: The world is already on the edge, and even a single second matters,” the Bulletin stated.

The organization cited mounting global tensions, including the ongoing war in Ukraine, which it warned could escalate into a nuclear conflict, the weakening of arms control agreements, and the worsening climate crisis. The past year was likely the hottest on record, with renewable energy growth failing to meet the urgency of the situation.

Additionally, the Bulletin raised alarms over biological threats, including the spread of bird flu and the potential for AI-driven bioweapon development. It also criticized political inaction, pointing to a lack of prioritization of climate change in major electoral campaigns.

Despite the dire outlook, the Bulletin emphasized that reversing course is possible if world leaders—particularly in the United States, China, and Russia—take decisive action to address these threats.

“There is still time to turn back the hands of the Doomsday Clock,” said Nobel Peace Prize laureate Juan Manuel Santos. “Every second counts. Let us use each one wisely.”