Geopolitical volatility led by ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, in which there is a specter of nuclear retaliation by Russia along with climate change and disease have emerged as the determinants of the ‘Doomsday Clock”. Atomic scientists have set the ‘Doomsday Clock’ just 90 seconds short of midnight.
What is Doomsday Clock?
The Doomsday Clock is a symbol that represents the likelihood of a man made global catastrophe, in the opinion of the members of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Maintained since 1947, the clock is a metaphor for threats to humanity from unchecked scientific and technological advances.
Bulletin of Atomic Scientist updates the clock’s time annually based on information regarding catastrophic risks to the planet and humanity.
In 1947, clock began tickling at seven minutes to midnight.
In 1991, when the Cold War came to an end and the United States and the Soviet Union negotiated a treaty that significantly reduced the nuclear arsenals of both countries, the clock was furthest from “doomsday” at 17 minutes to midnight.
In 2023, it moved its time to 90 seconds to midnight. 10 seconds closer than it has been for the past few years.
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What does midnight on Doomsday Clock mean?
The Doomsday Clock is a symbolic timepiece showing how close the world is to ending. Midnight marks the theoretical point of annihilation. Apocalyptic threats could arise from political tensions, weapons, technology , climate change or pandemic illness.
Based on the scientists’ assessment of existential risks at a certain time, the hands of the clock are pushed in either direction toward or away from midnight. The world is currently closer to potential annihilation than it otherwise would be because to the situation in Ukraine, which has been made worse by Russian actions.
Rachel Bronson, President and CEO of Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists stated in a Press Conference,
“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 possibilities that the conflict could spin out of anyone’s control remains high,”
Russia – Ukraine War raises the risk of use of Biological Weapons
It has also been apprised that the risk of the use of biological weapons has increased as a result of the situation in Ukraine. Since 2020, when the time was already 100 seconds away from midnight, the clock has been set at that time.
Bronson said,
“The continuing stream of disinformation about bioweapons’ laboratories in Ukraine raises concerns that Russia itself may be thinking of deploying such weapons,”
Economic Uncertainty and Climate Change
Sivan Kartha, bulletin board member and scientist at Stockholm Environmental Institute;
Economic uncertainty and climate change are also the reasons behind theoretical proximity, which will bring world closer to its annihilation.
“Global carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels, after having rebounded from the COVID economic decline to an all-time-high in 2021, continue to rise in 2022 and hit another record high… With emissions still rising, weather extremes continue, and were even more clearly attributable to climate change,”
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