The clock has been moved closer to or farther from midnight based on how scientists read existential threats at a particular time.
How is the Doomsday Clock set?
The watch was created in 1947 by a group of atomic scientists, including Albert Einstein, who worked on the Manhattan Project to develop the world’s first nuclear weapons during World War II.
The year 2023 marks the first time that the “doomsday clock” has moved since it was set to 100 seconds to midnight in 2020. Source: Getty, AFP / Yves Hambach
Why did scientists approach midnight?
A Ukrainian soldier in an armored vehicle during a combat exercise in Zaporizhia region, Ukraine, on Tuesday. Source: AP / Katerina Klushko/AP
“Russia’s veiled threats to use nuclear weapons remind the world that escalating conflict by accident, intent or miscalculation is a terrible risk. And the odds of conflict spinning out of anyone’s control remain high,” said Rachel Bronson, president of the Bulletin. The CEO said at a news conference in Washington on Tuesday.
“Global carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels, after rebounding from the coronavirus economic downturn to an all-time high in 2021, continue to rise in 2022 and reach another record high… As emissions continue to rise, so do extreme weather.” were even more clearly attributable to climate change,” Mr. Kartha said, pointing to the devastating floods in Pakistan in 2022 as an example.
