What is ‘Doomsday Clock’? Everything you need to know about it

The most basic definition of doomsday is the last day of the world’s existence, but what exactly is the Doomsday Clock? The Doomsday Clock is, well, a clock that analyzes the world’s hazards and how close we are to self-destruction. The clock was modeled in 1947 by a group of scientists that produced the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. The bulletin was created by Albert Einstein, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Eugene Rabinowitch, and other University of Chicago philosophers who participated in the improvement of the first atomic bombs during the Manhattan Project.

What’s the latest update on the ‘Doomsday Clock’? How does it work?

Presently, the Doomsday Clock is set at 100 seconds to midnight. It’s subsisted there since 2020, and neither 2021 nor 2022 saw a difference. Every January, experts assess how close the world is to an end, in their viewpoint. They use historical data to change positions of the clock closer or farther away from midnight. The clock, in proliferation to trailing existential concerns, also emphasizes scientific themes such as climate change.

Sharon Squassoni is a professor at George Washington University. She said, “The Doomsday Clock is holding steady at 100 seconds to midnight. But steady is not good news.” “In fact, it reflects the judgment of the board that we are stuck in a perilous moment, one that brings neither stability nor security,” she added. 

What is the closest and farthest standing of the clock?

The current standing of the clock showcases the nearest it has been to Doomsday. Before 2020, the Doomsday Clock was set at two minutes to midnight, which was the closest it got to midnight. This happened twice: once in 2018 as a result of nuclear risks and climate change. Then, again in 1953 as an outcome of thermonuclear weapons tests by the US and the USSR. The Doomsday Clock sat at a reasonably secure 17 minutes from midnight in 1991. This was the farthest. It happened when the Cold War ended and the US and USSR approved the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.

Every year, the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board, in cooperation with its Board of Sponsors, which includes 11 Nobel Laureates, sets the Doomsday Clock. The Bulletin’s president and CEO, Rachel Bronson, hopes it never gets to midnight “When the clock is at midnight, that means there’s been some sort of nuclear exchange or catastrophic climate change that’s wiped out humanity,” she said.