the bulletin of atomic scientists just announced the time of the doomsday clock.
Last year, the hands on the clock were set at 2 minutes to midnight, which is the closest
humanity has ever been to the apocalypse.
So how close are we in 2019 to the world ending?
I’m going to tell you, right now on IO.
Welcome back to your daily dose of anxiety, I’m charlotte dobre.
Hit that like and subscribe for more daily news updates on stories that you actually
want to hear about, hosted by people that you might actually want to be friends with.
Humans are pretty dangerous creatures, and we are especially a danger to the planet we
live on.
And no other symbol represents this better than the doomsday clock.
Every January, the bulletin of atomic scientists announces the time of the doomsday clock,
and today, January 24th, they have done just that.
For those who don’t know what the doomsday clock is, its an imaginary clock or symbol,
that represents how likely it is that humans will cause a global catastrophy.
It was put in place as somewhat of a metaphor, by the bulletin of atomic scientists.
The bulletin of atomic scientists is an organization, non profit, maded up of representatives from
the scientific community.
Both physicists and environmental scientists.
It was first formed by the former manhattan project scientists, following the bombings
at Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of world war 2.
Midnight on the clock represents the apocalypse.
In 1947, when the clock was first put in place, it was 7 minutes to midnight, and ever since,
its been inching ever closer to doomsday.
This is the third time in its history that the doomsday clock has been set at 2 minutes
to midnight.
In 1953, it was also positioned at 2 minutes to midnight when the us and the soviet union
were testing hydrogen bombs.
Again In 2017, it was 2 minutes and 30 seconds to midnight, and in 2018, it inched even closer,
and the hands were at 2 minutes to midnight.
In 2018 the scientists found that the threat and nuclear war as well as rising global temperatures,
increased the likelihood of doomsday.
Thankfully, this year, the clock hasn’t changed from last year, Its still at 2 minutes
to midnight.
But don’t pat yourself on the back just yet, the doomsday clock also didn’t move
further away from midnight, and theres a big reason for that.
A couple big reasons actually.
A huge threat to humanity is the growing nuclear arsenal around the world.
The feud between the united states and north korea has simmered off for the most part,
for now, and that’s one of the reasons why the clock hasn’t changed since last year.
But US Russia relations are still very tense, and the us and Russia possess 90 percent of
all the nuclear weapons around the world.
Almost directly calling out climate change denyers, According to BAS executive chair
Jerry Brown, the longer world leaders and citizens thoughtlessly inhabit this abnormal
reality, the more likely it is that we will experience the unthinkable.
After looking at data from 275 studies which were conducted over the last 9 years, scientists
have warned that millions of lives will be endangered by the effects of climate change.
From extreme weather droughts due to warming clients, pollution, to sea level rise, our
planet is not doing so hot.
According to a report from January 17th, factors triggered by climate change could kill as
many as a quarter of a million people every year, and they could force 100 million people
into poverty.
Speaking about the clock, president of BAS, Rachel Bronson said.
Though unchanged from 2018, this setting should be taken not as a sign of stability, but as
a stark warning to leaders and citizens around the world.
This new abnormal is simply too volatile and too dangerous to accept.]
All hope isn’t lost.
There was a time when the doomsday clock was 17 minutes before midnight, and that was in
1991.
This was at the end of the cold war, when world leaders decided to abandon their efforts
to blow us all to smitherines, and find a safer alternative for the good of humanity,
by forging partnerships.
World leaders agreed to reduce nuclear arsenals, specifically the US and Russia.
Times were good, for a while, but ever since, the doomsday clock inches ever closer, reminding
us all that the end of the world is just one or two bad decisions away, or, dare I say
it, tweets.
Ok guys, that is all I have for you on that, im going to lighten the mood and soothe your
anxiety with some comment replies from our video, tupac is alive and recording new music
Mr midi.
Ooh we love a good tupac update.
Ryan allen dang it if I had 1 pound for every time someone claimed tupac was alive I would
have enough to pay off my student loans.
Relateable.
Liam ream – you guys should do videos about bigfoot seen roaming the streets of mars.
Omg cool, mars has strets?
Oh youre being sarcastic.
Good one.
Avi Cobb – what is your email address for receiving stories from viewers.
informoverload@ gmail.com, or you can send us a dm on instagram, check out the description
for our links 1 1 – I like hot food – I like hot potatoes,
we have so much in common.
Welcome to the end screen, to keep watching IO, click on this playlist, and don’t forget
to like, subscribe and turn on those notifications so I can see you in the next io video.