Scientists update Doomsday Clock as humanity remains perilously close to Armageddon

There's been a new update on the status of the Doomsday Clock, and we remain just as close to Armageddon as we were at the end of 2023.

Last year, the hands on the symbolic clock were closer to midnight than ever before, with just 90 seconds left until mankind’s self-destruction.

And according to the new update… it’s still at 90 seconds to midnight.

The Doomsday Clock is set by members of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and is designed to show how close humanity is to global catastrophe caused by manmade technologies.

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And after it moved forwards last year, it remained in the same position – but this is not an indicator that things are stabilising across the world.

The Bulletin cited worldwide events that threaten the future of our species, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the ongoing climate crisis and the rise of generative AI.

The Doomsday Clock statement states: “Ominous trends continue to point the world toward global catastrophe. The war in Ukraine and the widespread and growing reliance on nuclear weapons increase the risk of nuclear escalation.

“China, Russia, and the United States are all spending huge sums to expand or modernize their nuclear arsenals, adding to the ever-present danger of nuclear war through mistake or miscalculation. In 2023, Earth experienced its hottest year on record, and massive floods, wildfires, and other climate-related disasters affected millions of people around the world.

“Meanwhile, rapid and worrisome developments in the life sciences and other disruptive technologies accelerated, while governments made only feeble efforts to control them. . .. But the world can be made safer. The Clock can move away from midnight.”

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