Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists warns of ‘extreme danger’ and risks threatening humanity
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced on Jan. 28 that the hands of the Doomsday Clock are moving forward, to 89 seconds to midnight—the closest it has ever been to apocalypse.
“The world has not made sufficient progress on existential risks threatening all of humanity. In setting the clock closer to midnight, we send a stark signal,” said Daniel Holz, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Chicago and chair of the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin, which sets the hands of the clock.
“Every second of delay in reversing course increases the probability of global disaster,” he said.
Every year, the Bulletin determines how much metaphorical time we have to avert catastrophe for humankind. Over the past 75 years, the hands of the clock have moved both backward and forward, according to whether steps were taken to address threats that could end human civilization on Earth, including climate change and nuclear war.
The clock last moved in 2023, when the Bulletin set the hands of the clock at a minute and a half to midnight—closer than it had ever been before, including during the Cold War.
“Because the world is already perilously close to the precipice, any move towards midnight should be taken as an indication of extreme danger and an unmistakable warning,” Holz said at the news conference.
Emerging and continuing threats
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists was created by a group of concerned Manhattan Project scientists, many based at the University of Chicago, shortly after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In 1947, artist and Bulletin member Martyl Langsdorf created the iconic Doomsday Clock to signal how close humanity was to self-destruction.
Today, the Doomsday Clock is located at the Bulletin offices in the Keller Center, home to the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy. Several UChicago faculty members sit on its board, including Holz and Prof. Robert Rosner, who sits on the Board of Sponsors.
In their decision, the Bulletin cited lack of urgency in response to the increasing effects of climate change; global movements toward nuclear arms; increasing use of generative AI in disinformation campaigns and in military applications; and lack of readiness to address emerging pathogens, including U.S. President Trump’s withdrawal from global climate and health agreements.
However, the Bulletin has always emphasized that the clock is not intended to make people fearful, but rather to spur them to action. The full statement lists a number of actions needed to make the world safer, and urges people to press their governments for action.
“There is still time to make the right choices to turn back the hands of the Doomsday Clock,” said Juan Manuel Santos, chair of The Council of Elders, former president of Colombia and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, at the news conference.
“In Colombia, we say: ‘Cada segunda cuenta’—every second counts. Let us use each one wisely.”