The Doomsday Clock, an allegorical reference to how close mankind is to global catastrophe, has been brought forward by a second and sits at 89 seconds to midnight.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS), which adjusts the clock annually, spoke of nuclear threat, misuse of advanced biology science, risk by artificial intelligence, and climate change as the prime threats guiding the world toward calamity.
“The latest adjustment, says Science and Security Board member Daniel Holz, is ‘a grave warning to global leaders.'”
Initially positioned in 1947 at seven minutes to midnight, the clock has continued to move towards the brink of global catastrophe. It was last year at 90 seconds to midnight, so this year’s movement is more disturbing.
BAS elevated the war in Ukraine, now in its third year, to a leading global threat, implying that it is poised to break out into a nuclear war “at any moment” due to rash decisions, accidental blunders, or sudden escalations. In addition, Middle Eastern tensions pose the risk of a surprise large-scale conflict.
The institution also mentioned the complacency of world governments in terms of climate change. While the global temperature continues to increase and global environmental issues emerge, most nations have failed to invest properly in policies and programs aimed at preventing global warming.
Also, specialists warned of the growing threat from re-emerging and emerging diseases that threaten economies, societies, and global security. Specialists were also worried about rapid technological developments, which might destabilize global stability.
BAS concluded that such threats combined with the spread of disinformation and false news make the world increasingly explosive and every second brings human kind closer to a disastrous world catastrophe unprecedented in its magnitude.