The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which was founded in 1945 by Albert Einstein, J. Robert Oppenheimer, and other scientists from the University of Chicago, created the Doomsday Clock two years later.
The Science and Security Board of the Bulletin, in conjunction with its Board of Sponsors, is set every year. Midnight on the clock signifies a nuclear apocalypse.
However, since then, the catalysts for destruction have been widened to include the peril of doom inherent in all manmade technologies. Each minute closer to midnight signifies the world's vulnerability to destruction by his own devices.
Recently, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists set the clock to 90 seconds to midnight, the closest the Atomic Clock has ever been to midnight.
The Bulletin emphasized that the clock still could be turned back, but urgent action is required from governments. A plethora of threats face us globally, causing the clock's tenuous reading in 2024.
Among them are the Russia-Ukraine war, which some fear is the precursor to a broader war in Europe, Climate Change, genetic engineering, and the ability for advanced AI to be used to disinform a population.
"Make no mistake: resetting the Clock at 90 seconds to midnight is not an indication that the world is stable. Quite the opposite. It's urgent for governments and communities around the world to act. And the Bulletin remains hopeful and inspired in seeing the younger generations leading the charge," said Rachel Bronson, PhD, president and CEO of the Bulletin.
Last year the Doomsday Clock was also set at 90 seconds to midnight, the closest to midnight the Clock had ever been.
The Doomsday Clock statement states: "Ominous trends continue to point the world toward global catastrophe. The war in Ukraine and the widespread and growing reliance on nuclear weapons increase the risk of nuclear escalation. China, Russia, and the United States are all spending huge sums to expand or modernize their nuclear arsenals, adding to the ever-present danger of nuclear war through mistake or miscalculation. In 2023, Earth experienced its hottest year on record, and massive floods, wildfires, and other climate-related disasters affected millions of people around the world. Meanwhile, rapid and worrisome developments in the life sciences and other disruptive technologies accelerated, while governments made only feeble efforts to control them [...] But the world can be made safer. The Clock can move away from midnight."
Gov. Jerry Brown, executive chair of the Bulletin said: "As though on the Titanic, leaders are steering the world toward catastrophe-more nuclear bombs, vast carbon emissions, dangerous pathogens, and artificial intelligence. Only the big powers like China, America, and Russia can pull us back. Despite deep antagonisms, they must cooperate - or we are doomed."
