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Breanna Robinson
Jan 23, 2023
Doomsday Expert Says ‘Billions’ Could Die If ‘Addiction’ to Conflict Continues
content.jwplatform.com
The latest Doomsday Clock, which scientists use to predict how much time is left before humanity destroys itself, is about to be unveiled - and people have concerns.
Scientists from the nonprofit media organization, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, are gearing up to reveal the 2023 Doomsday clock on Tuesday (24 January).
For 75 years, the organisation has shared how close it thinks the world is to complete destruction as a result of climate change, nuclear war, and, recently, the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the Bulletin's website, the clock is a "metaphor" and "reminder" of the dangers that should be considered to survive.
The clock is also considered "a design" set to warn humanity about how close we are to destroying the planet with the technologies "of our own making."
Tuesday's unveiling will be the very first since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, which could move the clock even closer to "doomsday."
While the clock is a metaphor for the dangers the world can be put through, people shared their feelings of anxiousness, intrigue, and everything in between.
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\u201cFrom 1945 to 1991, the world spent shivering in fear of nuclear armageddon. We even had fancy props like the Doomsday Clock \n\nAnd now that we are the closest to actual nuclear war ever in human history, worldwide nonchalance.\u201d— Opinion Bakery (@Opinion Bakery) 1664483423
\u201cAnxious to see how far off the timing on the Doomsday Clock will be updated on Jan 24.\u201d— SS (@SS) 1674471489
\u201cAnother day, another nuclear threat from drunk Medvedev. The doomsday clock operators need a raise\u201d— Mira of Kyiv (@Mira of Kyiv) 1674206140
\u201cFor the past two years the Doomsday Clock has stood at 100 seconds to midnight, closer to destruction than at any point since it was created in 1947.\u201d— EndGameWW3 \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@EndGameWW3 \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1673886743
Created in 1947, scientists at the Bulletin wanted to showcase the potential threat of catastrophe to the public pertaining to the nuclear arms race between the US and the Soviet Union.
The clock also indicates how much time is left until midnight, the hypothetical doomsday.
During its launch, the Bulletin noted that they set the "Doomsday Clock" to seven minutes before midnight because Martyl Langsdorf, the artist who designed the clock that appeared on the 1947 edition of the magazine, said it was appealing to her.
As of today, humanity is 100 seconds to midnight, which is the closest the world has been to disaster.
After Russia invaded Ukraine, the Bulletin had the clock stay at 100 seconds to midnight, noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin's threats to use nuclear weapons if NATO aided Ukraine is what "100 seconds" to midnight appears to be.
In September 2022, Putin released a bit of a threat that Russia would use nuclear weapons to fight against Ukraine.
On Tuesday (24 January) at 10am ET, the 2023 Doomsday Clock will be displayed.
The announcement can be streamed live on the Bulletin's website or Facebook page.
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