We are all going to die x
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has set the Doomsday Clock at 90 seconds to midnight, marking the closest to midnight the clock has ever been in its 76-year history. It’s also the first time the clock has moved in three years, having previously been set at 100 seconds to midnight in 2020 – a record at the time.
The clock was established in 1947, to highlight the looming threat of human annihilation following the age of nuclear warfare. Essentially, the closer to midnight, the closer we are to global catastrophe. The hands of the clock are set each year by the Bulletin’s science and security board with the support of its board of sponsors, which includes ten Nobel laureates.
Rachel Bronson, the president and CEO of the Bulletin, said this year the clock had been moved forward largely because of the ongoing war in Ukraine. “We are living in a time of unprecedented danger, and the Doomsday Clock time reflects that reality,” Bronson explained. “90 seconds to midnight is the closest the clock has ever been set to midnight, and it’s a decision our experts do not take lightly.”
An additional statement from the Bulletin added that “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has increased the risk of nuclear weapons use, raised the [spectre] of biological and chemical weapons use, hamstrung the world’s response to climate change, and hampered international efforts to deal with other global concerns.”
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, it has repeatedly threatened nuclear war with NATO, while the deputy chairman of the Kremlin’s Security Council recently implied that Russia losing to Ukraine would trigger a nuclear war. Additionally, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church said in a sermon last week that “an attempt to destroy Russia would mean the end of the world”. Where’s that woman who thought she could cure Putin’s mommy issues when you need her?
Other factors that influenced the Bulletin’s decision include China’s expansion of its nuclear capabilities, North Korea’s enhancement of missile testing, Iran’s increased enriched uranium production, and India’s development of its nuclear weapons arsenal.
The Bulletin has urged open engagement with peace talks between NATO and Russia in a bid to stop the crisis from escalating further.
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