Earth is closer to destruction than ever due to Russia, China, the US and other countries being “increasingly aggressive, hostile and nationalistic”, the science-oriented advocacy group said on Tuesday, as it extended its doomsday clock by 85 seconds to midnight.
Members of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists held preliminary demonstrations on Friday and then announced their results on Tuesday.
Scientists cited the risk of nuclear war, the climate crisis, the potential misuse of biotechnology and the increasing use of artificial intelligence without adequate controls while making the annual announcement, which highlights how close humanity is to extinction.
Last year the clock moved 89 seconds ahead of midnight.
Since then, “hard-won global understanding is eroding, exacerbating a winner-take-all great power competition and undermining the international cooperation needed to mitigate existential risks,” the group said.
They are concerned about the risk of escalating conflict involving nuclear-armed countries, citing the Russia-Ukraine war, the May conflict between India and Pakistan and whether Iran is capable of developing nuclear weapons following attacks by the US and Israel last summer.
Daniel Holz, chair of the group’s science and security board, said international trust and cooperation are essential because, “If the world becomes divided into an us-versus-them, zero-sum approach, it increases the likelihood that we will all lose.”
The group also highlighted droughts, heatwaves and floods linked to global warming, as well as the failure of countries to adopt meaningful agreements to fight global warming – highlighting Donald Trump’s efforts to promote fossil fuels and reduce renewable energy production.
Starting in 1947, advocacy groups used a clock to symbolize the ability, and even the possibility, of people doing something to end humanity. It was about 17 minutes to midnight at the end of the Cold War. Over the past few years, to address rapid global changes, the group has changed from counting the minutes to midnight to counting the seconds.
The group said the clock could be turned back if leaders and nations work together to tackle existential risks.
