We are often fascinated by the darker things in life. We want to know what happens when we die, and we want to know when world destruction will hit. Well, thankfully we aren’t the only ones - scientists created a Doomsday clock which is set by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Science and Security Board (SASB) that demonstrates the current level of global danger. It is set in consultation with its board of sponsors, which includes nine Nobel Laureates, and its recent predictions are chilling.
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Back in January 2023, the clock was set at 90 seconds to midnight for the first time. This year, the public was shocked to discover that there has been absolutely no improvement on this: the symbolic timepiece remains at 90 seconds to midnight.
What are the dangers facing our world?
The bulletin cited examples of events over the last year that have led to this conclusion. The wars in Ukraine and Gaza are included on the list, as well as the Earth experiencing considerable global warming with its hottest year on record. More intangible examples of threats were also given in the forms of AI advancement and progress in genetic engineering technology.
Rachel Bronson, the president and CEO of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, explained:
Make no mistake: resetting the clock at 90 seconds to midnight is not an indication that the world is stable. Quite the opposite.
She continued, saying there is an ‘urgent’ need for governments and communities to change their behaviours.
How to save the world
Bronson expressed some optimism when talking about the engagement of the younger generations in battling these issues. However, the Bulletin called for higher bodies to make more of an effort and ‘commence serious dialogue’ about current threats. They named three key players whose cooperation could make all the difference: the US, China and Russia.
At the highest levels, these three countries need to take responsibility for the existential danger the world now faces. They have the capacity to pull the world back from the brink of catastrophe.
The Bulletin urged these countries to ‘do so, with clarity and courage, and without delay’.
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Sources used:
The Standard: Wars and climate crisis cause Doomsday Clock to remain at 90 seconds to midnight in 2024
The Sun: SECONDS FROM DISASTER Doomsday Clock at 90 SECONDS to midnight in chilling warning that world is on brink of apocalypse amid WW3 threats
