Started in 1947 by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the Doomsday Clock is a symbol showing how close humanity is to destruction by our own hands – whether by nuclear weapons, man-made climate change or dangerous technology.
Midnight representing catastrophe, the hands are ticking down. Since its invention, the clock has been set back eight times and moved forward 18 times. The furthest from midnight the clock has been set was 17 minutes in 1991, at the end of the Cold War with the signing of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty between the US and the Soviet Union.
89 seconds to midnight
Currently – since 28 January 2025 – the clock is sitting at 89 seconds to midnight, the closest it has been in its history. This setting was due to conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the rise in AI technology being used in military targeting, climate change and conflict in the Middle East.
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Ramping up
All of these not only are ongoing, but seem to be ramping up. Israel appears to be edging closer to another conflict with Iran. In addition, we have the US’s operation in Venezuela, which resulted in its President, Nicolás Maduro, being captured – some call this a breach of international law and illegal – and taken back to the US to be put on trial. Its plans to take over Venezuelan oil, its seizure of a Russian tanker and the Trump Administration’s talk of taking over Greenland, along with the constant evolution of AI and the neglect of climate change, can only bring the clock closer to midnight.
The greatest danger to humanity when the Doomsday Clock was started – something that still poses a threat to us now – was nuclear weapons, mainly from the US and Russia as they headed for a nuclear arms race. Now, that list of countries has grown to include China, France, North Korea, the United Kingdom, India, Pakistan and Israel – altogether amounting to 13,000 weapons.
A metaphor but also a warning
The Doomsday Clock is meant to be a metaphor, but also a warning for us all that if we do not address what needs to be addressed we will not survive. As of now the clock sits at 89 seconds to midnight. On 27 January 2026 the clock will be reset again. From years 2024 to 2025 the clock moved forward one second, from 90 to 89. It’s more than likely that the clock will be going forward once more, but will we eventually take notice of the warning or will we continue down the path to midnight?
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