The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has been quoted as saying: "The answers to this seeming anomaly are that the Doomsday Clock captures trends and takes into account the capacity of leaders and societies to respond to crises with reasoned actions to prevent nuclear holocaust. This was despite many analysts warning this moment was the closest the Cold War face-off between America and the USSR came to nuclear war. Only the hours in the last quarter before midnight are identified on the face.ĭuring the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, the Doomsday Clock stood still at seven minutes to midnight. Here are some of the times in the Doomsday Clock's history.ġ947: The symbolic Doomsday Clock is unveiledĪt its launch, the Doomsday Clock was set at seven minutes before midnight, which was a visual, not geopolitical, choice. "This would eliminate mutual inspections, deepen mistrust, spur a nuclear arms race, and heighten the possibility of a nuclear exchange." They said: "Unless the two parties resume negotiations and find a basis for further reductions, the treaty will expire in February 2026. The scientists pointed out that the last remaining nuclear weapons treaty between Russia and the United States is "in jeopardy". We urge leaders to explore all of them to their fullest ability.” Rachel Bronson, chief executive of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, said: “The US government, its Nato allies and Ukraine have a multitude of channels for dialogue. The scientists said that following President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine in February last year, Russia's "thinly veiled threats to use nuclear weapons remind the world that escalation of the conflict - by accident, intention or miscalculation - is a terrible risk." The main areas of concern raised by the scientists - in a statement published in English, Ukrainian and Russian for the first time ever - include: Tuesday's announcement means the clock is officially the closest to midnight that it has ever been. It marked the first time the clock had been set in seconds, a reflection of the increasing danger. When the clock first moved to 100 seconds to midnight in 2019 it was already the closest to midnight it had ever been before. The Bulletin is an independent non-profit organisation run by some of the world’s most eminent scientists, which was originally intended to warn of the threat of nuclear armageddon.ĭoomsday Clock moves 10 seconds closer to midnight. The countdown was established in 1947 by experts at the Bulletin who were working on the Manhattan Project to design and build the first atomic bomb. The clock indicates how much time remains until midnight on theoretical doomsday. The Doomsday Clock is a metaphor - a reminder of the perils humanity must address if we are to survive on the planet. ITV News takes a look at what this year's announcement means. Scientists also warned of global pandemics becoming more common, bringing with it a risk to the human population. The clock is a visual representation of how close the world is to destruction from nuclear weapons, climate change and disruptive technology. The announcement means the perceived threat is now more severe than it was last year, with the scientists citing “unprecedented danger” posed by the Russia-Ukraine war. The Doomsday Clock has been set to 90 seconds to midnight, making it the closest the world has ever been to a global catastrophe.
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