The Doomsday Clock now shows just 85 seconds to midnight, the closest it has ever been to the symbolic nuclear apocalypse in its history. This was reported by the president and CEO of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists at a recent event.
The clock was first introduced in 1947 on the cover of the publication and serves as an indicator of global geopolitical tension. Midnight on this clock symbolizes a potential nuclear catastrophe.
In recent years, the clock's hands have steadily moved forward. In 2020, they indicated 100 seconds to midnight, and this value remained unchanged in 2021. In 2023, the clock approached the critical mark, leaving 90 seconds until nuclear catastrophe, and in 2024 it stayed at the same position, only to move one second forward in 2025.
In 2018 and 2019, the clock showed two minutes to midnight, which was also recorded in 1953, when hydrogen bomb tests were conducted in the USA and the USSR.
The most optimistic situation was in 1991, when the hands moved away from nuclear catastrophe by 17 minutes. This occurred after the signing of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I) between the USSR and the USA, aimed at reducing the number of nuclear warheads and their delivery systems.
