Atomic scientists set their 'Doomsday Clock' on Tuesday closer than ever to midnight, citing aggressive behavior by nuclear powers Russia, China and the United States.
WASHINGTON — Atomic scientists set their "Doomsday Clock" on Tuesday closer than ever to midnight, citing aggressive behavior by nuclear powers Russia, China and the United States, fraying nuclear arms control, conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East and AI worries among factors driving risks for global disaster.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists set the clock to 85 seconds before midnight, the theoretical point of annihilation. That is four seconds closer than it was set last year. The Chicago-based nonprofit created the clock in 1947 during the Cold War tensions that followed World War II to warn the public about how close humankind was to destroying the world.The scientists voiced concern about threats of unregulated integration of artificial intelligence into military systems and its potential misuse in aiding the creation of biological threats, as well as AI's role in spreading disinformation globally. They also noted continuing challenges posed by climate change."Of course, the Doomsday Clock is about global risks, and what we have seen is a global failure in leadership," nuclear policy expert Alexandra Bell, the Bulletin's president and CEO, told Reuters. "No matter the government, a shift towards neo-imperialism and an Orwellian approach to governance will only serve to push the clock toward midnight."It was the third time in the past four years that the scientists moved the clock closer to midnight."In terms of nuclear risks, nothing in 2025 trended in the right direction," Bell said. "Longstanding diplomatic frameworks are under duress or collapsing, the threat of explosive nuclear testing has returned, proliferation concerns are growing, and there were three military operations taking place under the shadow of nuclear weapons and the associated escalatory threat. The risk of nuclear use is unsustainably and unacceptably high."Bell pointed to Russia's continued war in Ukraine, the U.S. and Israeli bombing of Iran and border clashes between India and Pakistan. Bell also cited continuing tensions in Asia, including on the Korean Peninsula and China's threats toward Taiwan, as well as rising tensions in the Western Hemisphere since President Donald Trump returned to office 12 months ago.The last remaining nuclear arms pact between the United States and Russia, the New START treaty, expires on Feb. 5. Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed in September that the two countries agree to o
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