“Doomsday Clock Moves Closer to Midnight as Nuclear, Climate, and AI Dangers Rise”

Earth is closer to disaster than ever, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists warned Tuesday, moving its Doomsday Clock to 85 seconds to midnight.

The annual update reflects rising global tensions, nuclear threats, climate crises, and the growing use of artificial intelligence without adequate controls. “Hard-won global agreements are collapsing, accelerating a winner-takes-all competition among powerful nations and undermining cooperation needed to reduce existential risks,” the group said.

The scientists highlighted multiple flashpoints, including the Russia-Ukraine war, May’s India-Pakistan clash, and concerns over Iran’s nuclear program after US and Israeli strikes last year. Climate change remains a critical threat, with worsening droughts, floods, and heat waves. The group also criticized failures to curb global warming, pointing to policies that favor fossil fuels over renewable energy.

Since its inception in 1947, the Doomsday Clock has symbolized humanity’s risk of self-destruction. At the end of the Cold War, it was 17 minutes to midnight. In recent years, the countdown has shifted from minutes to seconds due to accelerating global risks.

The Bulletin emphasizes that coordinated global action could still turn back the clock, but warns that without international cooperation, the world is teetering closer to catastrophe than ever before.