Scientists Move Doomsday Clock Closer Than Ever to Midnight: 'An Indication of Extreme Danger'

Mar. 15, 2025

Doomsday clock on Jan. 28, 2025.Photo:Kayla Bartkowski/Getty

Kayla Bartkowski/Getty

According to scientists, Doomsday is now closer than ever.

On Tuesday, Jan. 28,The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, a nonprofit organization focused on global security and science, officially moved the Doomsday Clock forward for 2025. The clock is now set to 89 seconds to midnight, the closest it has ever been to impending doom, per the nonprofit organization’s press release.

The new time is one second ahead of last year’s clock — which was set at 90 seconds to midnight — and experts said that multiple world issues factored into the new Doomsday time.

Doomsday Clock on Jan. 28, 2025.Kayla Bartkowski/Getty

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Some of the issues considered global threats to humanity include the use of nuclear weapons,artificial intelligence, the global climate crisis and multiple wars, such as theIsrael-Hamas warand the Russia-Ukraine war, the scientists said.

Daniel Holz, chairman of The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, explained why the Doomsday Clock moved one full second this year.

“Because the world is already perilously close to the precipice, a move of even a single second should be taken as an indication of extreme danger and an unmistakable warning that every second of delay in reversing course increases the probability of global disaster,” he said.

In a statementabout the 2025 Doomsday Clock, the organization explained the dire circumstances that went into the decision.

“In 2024, humanity edged ever closer to catastrophe. Trends that have deeply concerned the Science and Security Board continued, and despite unmistakable signs of danger, national leaders and their societies have failed to do what is needed to change course," the organization said in a statement.

“The Doomsday Clock is moving at a moment of profound global instability and geopolitical tension,” Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Juan Manuel Santos said in a statement.

“As the hands of the clock get ever closer to midnight, we make an impassioned plea to all leaders: now is the time to act together!” he added. “The existential threats we face can only be addressed through bold leadership and partnership on a global scale. Cada segundo cuenta. Every second counts.”

source: people.com