Many people were anxiously waiting to know how close we are to the end of the world as the pandemic advances across the globe. For the third year in a row, the Apocalypse clock has stopped at one minute and forty seconds before the day of humanity's extinction.
One hundred seconds thus separate the world from destruction. The hands of the clock show exactly 23.58 and 20 seconds.
For this year's time, which has remained the same for two years, the 13 Nobel laureates and scientists of the NGO "Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists" took into account some key issues that concern all of humanity.
The coronavirus that is affecting the whole planet, Iran's decision to stockpile uranium for the production of an atomic bomb, the difficulties for the US to negotiate with Iran, and China's desire to continue its military development.
But that is not all There is also North Korea's nuclear development, the nuclear race between India and Pakistan and the fear of possible Russian intervention in Ukraine. As expected, climate change is also on the list of issues of concern to the scientific community.
Recall that every year a new time is set before the catastrophe. In 1947 and given that humanity had emerged from a World War and the first atomic bomb was recorded, the clock was set at 7 minutes to midnight.
In 1991, when the Cold War ended and the time dropped to 17 minutes. Since then, however, it has risen steadily
"We are stuck in a dangerous period that brings neither stability nor security," said Professor Sharon Squashoni. "The apocalypse clock continues to hang over our heads, reminding us that it is necessary to work to ensure a safer and healthier planet," said the NGO's president, Rachel Bronson.
"If humanity wants to avoid an existential catastrophe that would erase everything it has experienced, leaders must do a better job of countering misinformation, heeding science and working together," added Bronson.
Compared to previous years, the issue of information is now seen as critical by the organisation.
Herb Lynn, a digital security expert, commented that no "logical argument" is now sufficient to dissuade those with entrenched beliefs that cause "cracks in our shared understanding of what is true".
According to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 2021 brought no significant change for the climate.
"Last year (...) we had the heat dome over North America, fires around the world, droughts and floods, but this is just a sample of what we can expect if we don't reduce carbon dioxide emissions to zero," explained Raymond Rierhbert, professor of physics at the University of Oxford.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists was founded in 1945 by Albert Einstein, Robert Oppenheimer and other scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project to build the first atomic bomb. The scientific board of the organization consists mainly of American university professors and environmental and nuclear safety experts.
When the Apocalypse clock was "created" it read 7 minutes to midnight. In 1991, with the end of the Cold War, the hands went back to 17 minutes to midnight. In 1953, 2018 and 2019 they showed 2 minutes to midnight.
Source: Proto Thema
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