The end is nigh

The hands of the Doomsday Clock are set at 100 seconds to midnight

THE coronavirus pandemic is a “historic wakeup call” that shows governments are not ready to prevent a civilisation-ending catastrophe, scientists have cautioned.

The ominous warning comes following the announcement that the hands of the Doomsday Clock will stay fixed at 100 seconds to midnight - meaning humanity remains as close to global disaster as it has ever been.

Every year the time is set by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which uses the Doomsday Clock to track how close the world is to Armageddon.

“Midnight” is the time assigned for the end of civilization.

In January 2020, the clock ticked forward to 100 seconds to midnight - the latest it has ever been.

Following this year’s announcement, the clock remains stuck on 100 seconds to midnight, due to what the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists describes as an “ineffectual response” to the Covid19 pandemic, and the “lack of progress” in dealing with nuclear and climate perils.

Dr. Rachel Bronson, president and CEO of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, said: “The hands of the Doomsday Clock remain at 100 seconds to midnight, as close to midnight as ever.

“The lethal and fear-inspiring Covid-19 pandemic serves as a historic wake-up call, a vivid illustration that national governments and international organizations are unprepared to manage the truly civilization-ending threats of nuclear weapons and climate change.”

When the Doomsday Clock was first launched in 1947, in the aftermath of the Second World War, its hands were set at seven minutes to midnight.

Just two years later, as the U.S. and the Soviet Union became embroiled in the power struggle and arms race that sparked the Cold War, the clock skipped forward another four minutes.

It ticked forward again in 1953 to two minutes to midnight - the latest time it would reach in the 20th century - as President Harry S Truman announced America had developed a hydrogen bomb, with the Soviet Union not far behind.

The end of the Cold War saw the hands of the Doomsday Clock slip back to 17 minutes to midnight in 1991, but in the 21st century the growing threat of climate change has seen its hands steadily creep forward.

It ticked to three minutes to midnight in 2015, and the threat has continued to grow. For the past two years now the time until midnight has been measured in mere seconds.

The Doomsday Clock is set every year by a panel of scientists, which includes 13 Nobel Laureates.

But despite the gloom of this year’s announcement, with the threat of climate change and nuclear disaster both accelerated by “fake news” and conspiracy theories spread across the internet, the panel does see cause for hope.

With new President Joe Biden in the White House, America will rejoin the Paris climate agreement and it is also hoped the U.S. will re-commit to the Iran nuclear deal.

Nuclear arsenals have fallen drastically from a peak of 64.4m warheads in 1986 down to 9.4m in 2017, and the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists believes the U.S. and Russia can and should extend New START - the nuclear arms reduction agreement - for as long as possible.

The bulletin also strongly recommends that governments, big technology companies and responsible media organisations work together to find ways to combat misinformation and disinformation spread across the internet.

Former California Governor Jerry Brown, executive chair of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, said: “The U.S., Russia and the world’s nuclear powers must stop shouting at each other.

“It’s time to eliminate nuclear weapons, not build more of them. Likewise, with climate change: the US, China and other big countries must get serious about cutting lethal carbon emissions – now.

“It’s 100 seconds to midnight. Wake up!”