Doomsday Clock Is Now Closer to Apocalypse Than Ever Before

The human race is mere seconds from catastrophe, according to the ominously named “Doomsday Clock,” as it ticks closer to midnight than ever before.

The symbolic clock, set to its new time on January 27, was created in 1947 by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists as world tensions ballooned following World War II. The scientists chose to use a ticking clock to convey threats against the planet in a way that the average person could understand. In the decades since, the clock has become a recognized indicator of the health and stability of the world.  

In 1947, the clock was first set at 7 minutes to midnight. Today, it’s moved up to 85 seconds to midnight.

“The Doomsday Clock’s message cannot be clearer. Catastrophic risks are on the rise, cooperation is on the decline, and we are running out of time. Change is both necessary and possible, but the global community must demand swift action from their leaders,” said Alexandra Bell, president and CEO, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, in a press release.

Since 2010, the clock has been falling closer and closer to midnight, with increasing global conflicts being a major factor. The organization is rather straightforward on its bleak outlook on the immediate future.

“Far too many leaders have grown complacent and indifferent, in many cases adopting rhetoric and policies that accelerate rather than mitigate those risks,” the statement continues. “Because of this failure of leadership, the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board sets the Doomsday Clock at 85 seconds to midnight, the closest it has ever been to catastrophe.”

The clock has fluctuated through the decades, reflecting the turmoils and progress of the time. “The Bulletin focuses on three main areas: nuclear risk, climate change, and disruptive technologies, including developments in biotechnology. What connects these topics is a driving belief that because humans created them, we can control them.”

The farthest humanity has been from destruction was in 1991, according to the clock. The end of the Cold War and nuclear arms treaties led to the clock being set to 17 minutes before midnight.

The Bulletin paints another bleak picture with climate change, pointing to historically high greenhouse gas emissions and record-breaking weather phenomena across the globe, from deadly European heat waves to devastating flood-and-drought cycles in South America and West Africa.

The nonprofit warns of AI and biotechnology stepping into unknown waters, such as self-replicating cells, AI that can design biological threats, state-sponsored bioweapons programs, and “the dismantling of the U.S. public health efforts.”

The Doomsday Clock is decided every year by the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board in consultation with its Board of Sponsors, which includes eight Nobel laureates.