Nuclear war and climate change are two risks that scientists say has led the Doomsday Clock to be stuck at a point closest it has ever been to midnight.
The clock, which advanced 30 seconds to two minutes to midnight in 2018, is in the same position this year which indicates “bad news”.
The clock, created by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS) in 1947, is a symbolic representation of impending global catastrophes. The BAS has warned that people are “normalising a very dangerous world”.
This is the third time the Doomsday Clock has been so close to midnight, first reaching the position in 1953 after the US and the Soviet Union tested hydrogen bombs. The clock stood at seven minutes to midnight when it was introduced, and has been reset 23 times.
Rachel Bronson, BAS president and CEO, said that the position of the clock's hand this year should not be taken as a sign of stability, but as a warning.
