Doomsday Clock Countdown: Scientists Reveal Annihilation Time Once Minute Hand Strikes at Midnight

On January 24, 2023, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists will reveal how close humanity is to destruction by updating the Doomsday Clock. The clock is currently set at 100 seconds to midnight. It is uncertain whether the tension between Russia and the West will cause the clock to move even closer to 12 o'clock.

The Doomsday Clock was created in 1947 at the start of the Cold War and was set at 7 minutes to midnight. Every year, the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists adjusts the clock based on the previous year's events to reflect humanity's proximity to self-annihilation.

Countdown to Annihilation

The Doomsday Clock has been adjusted several times since its creation. The furthest it has ever been from midnight in 1991 when the U.S. and Soviet Union signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty to decrease the number of nuclear weapons. At that time, the clock was set to 17 minutes to midnight. Since then, the clock's minute hand has been moving closer to 12 o'clock.

In 2007, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists began considering the threat of climate change as a factor in adjusting the clock. That year, the clock was moved from 7 minutes to midnight to 5 minutes to midnight, reflecting the increasing danger posed by climate change. In 2020, the Doomsday Clock was set to 100 seconds to midnight, which is the closest it has ever been, as per Newsweek.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists' editor, John Mecklin, stated, "Civilization-ending nuclear war...is a genuine possibility" and cited "Climate change that could devastate the planet is undeniably happening." He also pointed out that "Democratic governments and institutions that should be working to address these threats have failed to rise to the challenge." as reasons for the clock being set at its closest point ever.

(Photo: Doomsday Clock)
Doomsday Clock

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Designing the Doom

For the last two years, the Doomsday Clock has remained at 100 seconds to midnight. It is uncertain if the events of the past year, including the rise in global greenhouse gas emissions and President Putin's nuclear threats, will impact the clock's position. On January 24th, 2023, at 10 a.m. ET, The Bulletin will host a virtual conference to reveal the new position of the Doomsday Clock for 2023, which can be watched live on The Bulletin's website and Facebook page.

The conference will feature speakers from The Bulletin and members of The Elders, a group of global leaders established by Nelson Mandela that work towards peace, justice, and human rights. Artist Martyl Langsdorf created the design for the Doomsday Clock for the cover of the June 1947 edition of the Bulletin.

Martyl married Alexander Langsdorf, a physicist who worked on the Manhattan Project at the University of Chicago. Initially, she considered using the symbol for uranium, but as she listened to the scientists who had worked on the atomic bomb, she was moved by their sense of urgency and instead created a clock to suggest that there was little time left to control atomic weapons. Graphic designer Michael Bierut later reimagined the design in 2007.