Doomsday Clock Now 89 Seconds to Midnight

Founded in 1945 by Albert Einstein, J. Robert Oppenheimer, and University of Chicago scientists who helped develop the first atomic weapons as part of the Manhattan Project, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists created the Doomsday Clock two years later, using the imagery of the apocalypse (midnight) and the contemporary idiom of nuclear explosion (counting down to zero) to express the threats facing humanity and the planet.

The Doomsday Clock is set each year by the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board in consultation with its Sponsoring Board, which includes nine Nobel Laureates. The clock has become a universally recognized indicator of the world’s vulnerability to global catastrophes caused by human-made technologies.

In 2024, humanity has moved ever closer to catastrophe. The trends that deeply concerned the Science and Security Board have continued, and despite clear signs of danger, national leaders and their societies have failed to take the necessary steps to change course. As a result, we have now moved the Doomsday Clock from 90 seconds to midnight to 89 seconds to midnight, the closest it has ever come to catastrophe. We fervently hope that leaders will recognize the existential predicament the world finds itself in and take bold action to reduce the threats posed by nuclear weapons, climate change, and the potential misuse of biological science and various emerging technologies.

“Humanity Moves Closer to Catastrophe”: The iconic Doomsday Clock ticks one second closer to midnight as global existential threats rage. Clock factors include nuclear weapons, the climate crisis, artificial intelligence, infectious diseases, and conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. »

The Doomsday Clock was set to 89 seconds to midnight, the closest to midnight in its 78-year history. The 2025 clock time signals that the world is on a trajectory of unprecedented risk, and that continuing on the current path is a form of madness. The United States, China, and Russia have the primary responsibility to pull the world back from the brink. The world depends on immediate action.

The Doomsday Clock time is set by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Science and Security Board (SASB) in consultation with its board of sponsors, which includes nine Nobel laureates. Factors included threats from nuclear weapons, the climate crisis, biological threats, and disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI). The last time the clock changed was in January 2023, when the Doomsday Clock was set to 90 minutes to midnight.

Daniel Holz, PhD, SASB Chair of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, and a professor at the University of Chicago, said:
« The goal of the Doomsday Clock is to start a global conversation about the very real existential threats that keep the world’s best scientists up at night. National leaders must begin discussions about these global risks before it’s too late. Thinking through these life-and-death questions and starting a dialogue are the first steps toward turning back the clock and moving away from midnight. »

Juan Manuel Santos, President of The Elders, former President of Colombia and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, who participated in the announcement of the 2025 Doomsday Clock, said:
« The Doomsday Clock is moving at a time of profound global instability and geopolitical tensions. As the hands of the clock inch ever closer to midnight, we make an impassioned plea to all leaders: now is the time to act together! The existential threats we face can only be addressed through bold leadership and global partnership. ‘Cada segundo cuenta’ (Every second counts). »

Nuclear Outlook: Extremely Dangerous Trends Continue

Manpreet Sethi, PhD, SASB Fellow at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Distinguished Fellow at the Center for Air Power Studies in New Delhi, and Senior Research Advisor at the Asia Pacific Leadership Network, said:

« The risk of nuclear use continues to grow due to capability buildup and treaty failure. Russia has suspended compliance with New START and withdrawn ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. China is rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal. And the United States has abdicated its role as a voice of caution. It appears inclined to expand its nuclear arsenal and adopt a posture that reinforces the belief that « limited » use of nuclear weapons can be managed. Such misplaced confidence could stumble us into nuclear war. »

Disruptive Technologies to Watch in 2025

Herb Lin, ScD, SASB Fellow at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Senior Fellow in Cyber ​​Policy and Security at the Center for International Security and Cooperation, and Hank J. Holland Fellow in Cyber ​​Policy and Security at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, said:
« Proposals to integrate artificial intelligence into weapons of war raise questions about the extent to which machines will be allowed to make or support military decisions, even when such decisions could kill on a massive scale. Even if a human always makes the final decision on the use of nuclear weapons, how and when, if at all, should AI be used to support such decision-making?

How should we think about lethal autonomous weapons, which identify and destroy targets without human intervention?

Meanwhile, the ever-increasing dysfunction of the global information ecosystem is disrupting society’s ability to address difficult challenges, and AI has a great potential to accelerate chaos and disorder. »

Climate Change: Devastating Impacts and Insufficient Progress

Robert Socolow, PhD, SASB Fellow at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and Professor Emeritus in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University, said:
« 2024 was the hottest year on record. Extreme weather and other climate events—floods, tropical cyclones, extreme heat, drought, and wildfires—devastated societies, rich and poor, and ecosystems around the world. Yet global emissions of the greenhouse gases that drive climate change continued to rise. And investments to adapt to climate change and reduce fossil fuel emissions fell far short of what is needed to avoid the worst impacts. There were formidable political headwinds globally: particularly worrisome, election campaigns showed that climate change was not a priority in the United States and many other countries. »

Formidable Biological Threats

Suzet McKinney, DrPH, SASB Fellow at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, and Senior Director and Director of Life Sciences for Sterling Bay, said:
“Infectious diseases are a constant threat to humanity, but unfortunately, the collective experience of COVID-19 has increased skepticism about public health officials’ recommendations, particularly the use of medical countermeasures to mitigate the spread of disease. There is also growing concern about the proliferation of pathogen labs around the world, as well as the harmful use of AI in biological research and development. Collectively, leaders must establish knowledgeable authorities to provide reliable information, increase reporting on disease trends as the climate changes, reduce the number of high-containment labs, and reduce active bioweapons programs.”

Continuing blindly on the current path is a form of insanity. The United States, China, and Russia have the collective power to destroy civilization. These three countries have the primary responsibility to save the world from the brink, and they can do so if their leaders begin serious, good-faith discussions about the global threats described here. Despite their profound disagreements, they should take this first step without delay. The world needs action now.

The Bulletin’s website, iconic Doomsday Clock, and regular events provide the public, policymakers, and scientists with the information needed to reduce the man-made threats to our existence.

©2025 – IMPACT EUROPEAN

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Gabriel MIHAI

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