The world could be closer to coming to an end, if you believe the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists who moved the clock two minutes closer to midnight. The clock now sits at three minutes to midnight making this the closest it has been to midnight since 1984 during the height of the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists informs people on issues related to the dangers of climate change, disease, nuclear weapons, and other emerging technologies. According to the bulletin, the clock was moved forward because of the continued failure to address climate change and the further modernization and proliferation of nuclear weapons.
"Today, unchecked climate change and a nuclear arms race resulting from modernization of huge arsenals pose extraordinary and undeniable threats to the continued existence of humanity. And world leaders have failed to act with the speed or on the scale required to protect citizens from potential catastrophe," executive director of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Kennette Benedict says. "These failures of leadership endanger every person on Earth."
The clock has been holding at five minutes to midnight since 2012, after being moved ahead by one minute for reasons pertaining to nuclear safety. In recent years, however, the clock has been moving the wrong direction for humanity. In 1991, it stood at seventeen minutes to midnight marking the furthest from the end of the world that humanity has ever been since the Doomsday Clock was first put out in 1947. It's been moved closer to midnight each time its been moved since that time with the exception of 2010, when it was pushed back by one minute.
Noting that nuclear trends are moving backwards, the Science and Security Board's Sharon Squassoni pointed out that weapons modernization programs and disarmament have "ground to a halt."
The group also commented on actions in regards to climate change. "Efforts at reducing global emissions of heat-trapping gases have so far been entirely insufficient to prevent unacceptable climate disruption," said the Bulletin's Richard Somerville. "We all need to respond now, while there is still time."
Since the Doomsday Clock's was first put out in 1947 the closest we have ever come to midnight was during the days of extensive nuclear weapon testing by both the United States and the Soviet Union in 1953, when it was set at 11:58 p.m. Today we are merely one minute from that record putting us ever closer to our own destruction, according to the panel.
