The Doomsday Clock, a symbolic representation of how close humanity is to global catastrophe, has been moved closer to midnight than ever before following Donald Trump’s return to the White House. The shift, announced on Tuesday, January 28, was motivated by increasingly alarming concerns over nuclear conflict, climate change, and public health—issues that have heightened since Trump began his second term.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the body responsible for the clock, set it at 89 seconds to midnight. It was the closest to midnight since it began. The last change was made in 2022, when it was moved to 90 seconds to midnight, after Russia invaded Ukraine. Initially, it was set at seven minutes to midnight in 1947.
“In moving the Clock one second closer to midnight, we send a stark signal: 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,” the Bulletin stated. The group stressed that leaders in the world need to act immediately in addressing threats linked to nuclear weapons, climate change, and emerging technologies.
Daniel Holz, who chairs the board of science and security, warned of the threat of increasing nuclear alliances. According to AP, he warned, “when you are at this precipice, the one thing you don’t want to do is take a step forward.” Holz pointed out alarming developments in nuclear cooperation among countries like Russia, China, and North Korea, and noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin has even spoken about deploying nuclear weapons in Ukraine. “A lot of the rhetoric is very disturbing,” Holz remarked. “There is this growing sense that. some nation might end up using nuclear weapons, and that’s terrifying.”
The Bulletin emphasized that world’s most influential nations must take a responsibility for de-escalation. ‘The United States, China, and Russia have the collective power to destroy civilization’, the group stated. It appealed to these countries to begin a dialogue irrespective of the differences among them, but stated, “These three countries have the prime responsibility to pull the world back from the brink, and they can do so if their leaders seriously commence good-faith discussions about the global threats outlined here. Despite their profound disagreements, they should take that first step without delay. The world depends on immediate action.”