The Doomsday Clock: How Close We Are To The End
Once a year, a statement is published by a group known as The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists which summarizes how close we are to a catastrophic, apocalyptic Doomsday event. The Bulletin uses a clock as a symbol and characterizes the amount of danger society is in with the amount of time until midnight and looks at major issues of man's own making that could lead to an end. Some of these major issues include nuclear war, climate change, and disruptive technologies.
The Bulletin's Science and Security Board (SASB) is comprised of a select group of globally recognized leaders with a specific focus on nuclear risk, climate change, and disruptive technologies. They ultimately decide what time it is on the Doomsday Clock and detail in their report how they came to their conclusions.
Since the beginning of this annual reporting in 1947, the clock has slowly ticked closer to midnight, with the minute hand being reset only 6 times due to improvements in the outlook of global affairs.
As of 2021, the Doomsday Clock is the closest it has ever been to the end: 100 seconds to midnight. The full article is here. This is a great read and will give a solid understanding of where we stand currently as a society.
For more information, you can browse The Bulletin's website for many insightful articles regarding the Doomsday clock, nuclear risk, climate change, and more.
This will likely be the first of many articles surrounding the Doomsday Clock and the work of The Bulletin as they provide science-based articles and opinions on matters surrounding Doomsday and prevention thereof.