Clocks tell us some very important information, like the time. But there is one clock that tells
us a whole lot more than that, and it's this one. Might not look like much but when this clock
strikes midnight, we will have a whole lot more to worry about than getting a good night's sleep.
The Doomsday clock, as it's affectionately known, kind of speaks for itself. It's a
visual representation of how close humanity is to the end of the world. Midnight marks
the theoretical point where everything comes crumbling down, and just this year
its hands moved the closest they've ever been to the dreaded twelve o'clock mark.
But what does that actually mean for us? Well, let's re-wind to the beginning.
The year is 1945, and World War II is raging on. The newest development in
military tech is the atomic bomb, and it's tipped to be the most powerful weapon ever.
That theory was proven when two of them were dropped over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki leaving a trail of destruction, radioactive fallout, and a massive death toll.
Many believe that it ultimately helped end the war, but the bomb's power was seen as a
genuine threat to all of humanity.
For better or worse, man had unleashed the frightful power of the atom.
So, about a month later, a group of atomic scientists,
including the likes of Albert Einstein, came together and created the Bulletin
of the Atomic Scientists. They wanted “to equip the public, policymakers and scientists with
the information needed to reduce man-made threats to our existence." The clock made
its first appearance in 1947 as the cover art for the first edition of The Bulletin of the
Atomic Scientists magazine, and although originally created as an artistic piece,
it was eventually recognised worldwide as the symbol for the threat of impending doom. Back
then, it read 7 minutes to midnight. The reason it was set at 7 minutes because, and I quote,
"it seemed the right time". Ever since, the Bulletin has adjusted the clock's time to show
how much danger they think humanity is facing, and over the years they've considered many other
factors besides nuclear threats like pandemics, politics, cyber threats, bioweapons, and of
course, climate change. All these factors mean that the clock's time has jumped around a lot.
In 1953 the time sprung forward to just 2 minutes to midnight, thanks to the development of the
Hydrogen bomb. But 10 years later, in 1963, the clock dropped back to 12 minutes to midnight,
thanks to the US and Soviet Union agreeing to end atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons. In
1984 it jumped forward again to 3 minutes to midnight, thanks to Cold War tensions.
But then dropped back again to the furthest humanity has ever been from midnight in 1991,
when the strategic arms reduction treaty was signed by then US President George
H. W. Bush and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. It limited the use of deadly
weapons and caused the clock to wind all the way back to a massive 17 minutes to midnight!
We sign this historic treaty as testament to the new relationship
emerging between our two countries in the promise of further progress to outlasting peace.
The clock has slowly ticked closer to midnight since that treaty, and in 2020 humanity slipped from
minutes to mere seconds to the big one two. Now, in 2023 its hands have moved again.
We move the clock forward the closest it has ever been to midnight. It is now
90 seconds to midnight. The move from minutes to seconds emphasizes our proximity to midnight.
According to the team of scientists at the Bulletin the reason we're now staring
potential annihilation in the face is mainly because of the war in Ukraine.
Nearly a year since the war began, and with no clear end in sight,
the Bulletin says the threat of nuclear danger is back to the level of the Cold War.
Russia's thinly veiled threats to use nuclear weapons remind the world that
escalation of the conflict by accident, intention or miscalculation is a terrible
risk. The possibilities that the conflict could spin out of anyone's control remains high.
This is undoubtedly an existential threat to humanity.
They also say that the effects of the war are undermining global efforts to
combat climate change. Because Russia is a big exporter of fossil fuels and countries
have had to look elsewhere for natural gas, carbon-dioxide emissions have been rising.
The US. Government, its NATO's allies, and Ukraine have multitude of channels
for dialog. We urge leaders to explore all of them to their fullest ability.
I think as the threats go get larger and that we become more aware, and we understand them better,
there is hope, I think, we do change our practices and the
way we think and approach these things. The Bulletin's statement has been released
in English, Russian and Ukrainian for the first time ever in hopes that it can get
the attention and action it needs. But while midnight seems only a few ticks away right now,
it's important for us to remember that on this clock we can turn back time.