100 seconds to midnight: Doomsday Clock shows humanity’s existence hangs in the balance

100 seconds to midnight: Doomsday Clock shows humanity’s existence hangs in the balance.

FOR the third year in a row, humanity’s existence hangs in the balance as the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists annual Doomsday Clock is set once again at 100 seconds to midnight.

Marking the clock’s 75th birthday, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced the Doomsday Clock has been set to 100 seconds to midnight during a live announcement today (January 20). The clock’s hands are believed to be positioned based on how scientists view current global events and assess any potential disasters coming in the future.

The clock, which was created back in 1947, reveals every January how close humanity is to the brink of its own extinction. This year’s prediction of 100 seconds to midnight was the same as its last update in 2021 and the year previous.

The continued prediction of the world’s fate is believed to be because of the Covid pandemic.

Speaking last year, Rachel Bronson, president and chief executive of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, said: “We recognise that humanity continues to suffer as the Covid-19 pandemic spreads around the world.

“The pandemic revealed just how unprepared and unwilling countries and the international system are to handle global emergencies properly.

“In this time of genuine crisis, governments around the world too often abdicated responsibility, ignored scientific advice, did not co-operate to communicate effectively and consequently failed to protect health and welfare of their citizens.”

On its debut in 1947, the clock’s hand was placed at seven minutes to midnight, showing how much damage the scientists believe we have done to our own future.

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