Closest in History, Doomsday Clock Moves to 85 Seconds to ‘Midnight’

Chicago: The world is now closer to global catastrophe than at any point in history, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists warned on Tuesday, moving its symbolic Doomsday Clock to 85 seconds to midnight. This marks the nearest setting to “midnight” since the clock was introduced nearly eight decades ago. Last year, the clock stood at 89 seconds to midnight, with scientists cautioning that humanity was already perilously close to disaster.

The Doomsday Clock is not a predictive tool nor a measure of actual time. Rather, it is a symbolic representation of humanity’s proximity to self-inflicted global catastrophe, including nuclear conflict or environmental collapse. Midnight represents total disaster, and each second closer signals increasing risk.

The Bulletin cited worsening tensions among major powers, including Russia, China, and the United States, along with rising nationalism, military posturing, and erosion of long-standing international agreements. This breakdown in cooperation, scientists say, is heightening risks from nuclear weapons, climate change, biotechnology misuse, and the rapid, largely unregulated development of artificial intelligence.

The Doomsday Clock was first established in 1947 by scientists involved in the development of the atomic bomb, initially focusing on nuclear threats. Over the decades, it has evolved to reflect emerging global dangers.

By advancing the clock to 85 seconds to midnight, the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board signalled that global leaders have largely failed to act decisively, often pursuing policies that escalate tensions rather than reduce them. The scientists emphasised that the warning is not of inevitable doom, but of the shrinking margin for error facing humanity today.