On January 28, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists at the University of Chicago revealed their doomsday clock set at 89 seconds to midnight, the closest it has ever been, due to global events throughout 2024.
The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists was founded in 1945 by Albert Einstein, J. Robert Oppenheimer, and University of Chicago scientists who helped create the atomic weapons used in the Manhattan Project during World War II.
The group created the doomsday clock two years later, in 1947. According to their website, the clock uses the imagery of the apocalypse (midnight) and the idiom of nuclear explosion (countdown til zero) to relay threats to humanity and the planet.
Every year, the clock is set by the Bulletin’s science and security board along with its board of sponsors. The clock is universally used worldwide to indicate the world’s vulnerability to catastrophic events due to man-made objects and decisions.
According to their 2025 Doomsday Clock statement, the Bulletin was increasingly concerned about continuing 2024 trends.
“Trends that have deeply concerned the Science and Security Board continued, and despite unmistakable signs of danger, national leaders and their societies have failed to do what is needed,” The Bulletin said.
The Bulletin sets the clock on numerous global factors, including Nuclear risk, Climate Change, Biological Threats, and Disruptive technologies, which are all considered when the Bulletin decides how close to midnight the Clock will be.
In 2024, The war in Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East were the main focus of the Bulletin in regards to Nuclear risk.
“The war in Ukraine…looms over the world; the conflict could become nuclear at any moment,” The Bulletin said. “Conflict in the Middle East threatens to spiral out of control into a wider war without warning.”
The bulletin was also concerned about the increasing nuclear arsenals in countries worldwide.
Regarding climate change, the world has set new records for rising sea levels and global temperature, greenhouse gas emissions that have continued to rise, and extreme weather and other climate change-related events that have affected every continent.
“The long-term prognosis for the world’s attempt to deal with climate change remains poor, as most governments fail to enact the financing and policy necessary to halt global warming,” The Bulletin wrote.
The emergence and reemergence of diseases have also continued to threaten the world’s economy, society, and security.
“The off-season appearance and in-season continuance of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), its spread to farm animals and dairy products, and the occurrence of human cases have combined to create the possibility of a devastating human pandemic,” The Bulletin stated.
The Bulletin also wrote about concerns for the high-containment biological laboratories that continue to be built worldwide. But, they are not ensuring safety, security, and compliance with regulations, increasing the possibility that pathogens with pandemic potential might escape. Along with that, the Bulletin was also concerned about advances in artificial intelligence (AI) that have increased the risk of terrorists and countries having the capability to create biological weapons for which treatments do not exist.
AI is also a concern to the Bulletin because many countries have started to use it in their militaries and military targeting systems.
“Such efforts raise questions about the extent to which machines will be allowed to make military decisions—even decisions that could kill on a vast scale, including those related to the use of nuclear weapons,” the Bulletin said.
All the dangers mentioned above are amplified by misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theories that blur the line between truth and falsehood. AI and social media have made it easier for governments to spread falsified information and propaganda.
“The battered information landscape is also producing leaders who discount science and endeavor to suppress free speech and human rights, compromising the fact-based public discussions that are required to combat the enormous threats facing the world,” the Bulletin shared.
According to the Bulletin, countries like The United States, China, and Russia have the power to destroy civilization. These three countries hold the primary responsibility for returning the world to stabilization.
The Bulletin hopes the release of the new time will signal to the world that the planet is approaching catastrophe and that action must quickly be taken to prevent things from worsening.