Doomsday Clock moves closer to midnight, a year into Trump term

The “Doomsday Clock” representing how near humanity is to catastrophe moved closer than ever to midnight on Tuesday as concerns grow on nuclear weapons, climate change and disinformation.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which set up the metaphorical clock at the start of the Cold War, moved its time to 85 seconds to midnight – four seconds closer than a year ago.

The announcement comes a year into US President Donald Trump’s second term in which he has shattered global norms including by ordering unilateral attacks and withdrawing from a slew of international organisations.

Russia, China, the United States and other major countries have “become increasingly aggressive, adversarial and nationalistic”, said a statement announcing the clock shift, determined after consultations with a board that includes eight Nobel laureates.

“Hard-won global understandings are collapsing, accelerating a winner-takes-all great power competition and undermining the international cooperation critical to reducing the risks of nuclear war, climate change, the misuse of biotechnology, the potential threat of artificial intelligence and other apocalyptic dangers.”

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Trump’s Golden Dome shows US ‘obsessed with absolute security’, China says

Trump’s Golden Dome shows US ‘obsessed with absolute security’, China says

The Doomsday Clock board warned of heightened risks of a nuclear arms race, with the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty between the United States and Russia set to expire next week and Trump pushing a costly “Golden Dome” missile defence system that would further militarise space.