The Doomsday Clock was set to 89 seconds to midnight on Tuesday (Jan 28), the closest to midnight in its 78-year history.
The atomic scientists who revealed this, said that humanity is closer to destroying itself.
The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, a science-oriented advocacy group, announced on Tuesday that the clock is closer to midnight. It also metaphorically ranked how close humankind is to annihilating itself with human-made advancements.
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“We set the clock closer to midnight because we do not see positive progress on the global challenges we face, including nuclear risk, climate change, biological threats, and advances in disruptive technologies,” Daniel Holz, chair of the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board, said.
The Bulletin is pointing out that we are unacceptably close to a catastrophe, indicating an extreme danger and an unmistakable warning that every moment of delay in reversing course increases the probability of global disaster.
'Nuclear war at any moment'
The group of scientists said that the Ukraine war could become "nuclear at any moment", adding that a wider regional war in the Middle East could "spiral out of control".
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According to scientists, the global attempts to reduce climate change "remain poor" as governments are not implementing the required policies to stop global warming.
Holz said the development of biotechnology and artificial intelligence "far outpaced policy, regulation, and a thorough understanding of their consequences."
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“In setting the clock forward, we send a stark signal. Because the world is perilously close to the precipice, any move toward midnight should be taken as an indication of extreme danger and an unmistakable warning,” Holz added.
For the past two years, the clock had stood at 90 seconds to midnight, and "when you are at this precipice, the one thing you don't want to do is take a step forward," Holz said.
The group further said that the clock could be turned back if leaders and the nations work together to address the existential risks.
(With inputs from agencies)