It’s 89 Seconds To Midnight

In the headlines this morning is the ominous news that scientists have shifted the Doomsday Clock one crucial second closer to midnight. It’s the closest we’ve ever been to the end of the day – but what does it mean?

What Is The Doomsday Clock?

The Doomsday Clock is a scientific metaphor used to estimate the likelihood of a human-made catastrophe – and when. The hypothetical catastrophe is represented by midnight on the clock, with all of the time before it representing the history of the universe. Today, scientists set the clock at 89 seconds to midnight, the closest we’ve ever been to catastrophe.

‘The purpose of the Doomsday Clock is to start a global conversation about the very real existential threats that keep the world’s top scientists awake at night,’ says Daniel Holz, PhD, SASB Chair, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, and professor at the University of Chicago. ‘National leaders must commence discussions about these global risks before it’s too late. Reflecting on these life-and-death issues and starting a dialogue are the first steps to turning back the Clock and moving away from midnight.’

The main factors influencing the clock are nuclear warfare, climate change and artificial intelligence, and the time is set every January by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Science and Security Board along with its Board of Sponsors which includes nine Novel laureates. In 2025, the clock was set on 28 January along with an ominous statement citing the ongoing war in Ukraine, the impacts of climate change, emerging and re-emerging diseases, artificial intelligence, and tensions among major powers like China, Russia and the US.

‘The Doomsday Clock is moving at a moment of profound global instability and geopolitical tension,’ says Juan Manuel Santos, Chair of The Elders, former President of Colombia, and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, who participated in the 2025 Doomsday Clock announcement. ‘As the hands of the clock get ever closer to midnight, we make an impassioned plea to all leaders: now is the time to act together! The existential threats we face can only be addressed through bold leadership and partnership on a global scale. Cada segundo cuenta. Every second counts.’

‘In 2024, humanity edged ever closer to catastrophe,’ the statement reads. ‘Trends that have deeply concerned the Science and Security Board continued, and despite unmistakable signs of danger, national leaders and their societies have failed to do what is needed to change course. Consequently, we now move the Doomsday Clock from 90 seconds to 89 seconds to midnight – the closest it has ever been to catastrophe. Our fervent hope is that leaders will recognize the world’s existential predicament and take bold action to reduce the threats posed by nuclear weapons, climate change, and the potential misuse of biological science and a variety of emerging technologies.

‘In setting the Clock one second closer to midnight, we send a stark signal: Because the world is already perilously close to the precipice, a move of even a single second should be taken as an indication of extreme danger and an unmistakable warning that every second of delay in reversing course increases the probability of global disaster,’ the statement continues.

It ends with a call to action for three nations in particular: ‘Blindly continuing on the current path is a form of madness. The United States, China, and Russia have the collective power to destroy civilization. These three countries have the prime responsibility to pull the world back from the brink, and they can do so if their leaders seriously commence good-faith discussions about the global threats outlined here. Despite their profound disagreements, they should take that first step without delay. The world depends on immediate action.’

Who Made It?

The Domesday Clock was created by physicists J. Robert Oppenheimer, Albert Einstein and Eugene Rabinowitch in 1947, and has been maintained by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists ever since. The first time setting was seven minutes to midnight, and the clock has been set backwards eight times and forwards 18 times in its 78-year history. The most optimistic outlook came in 1991: 17 minutes to midnight. The least optimistic outlook came in January 2025.

What Happens If We Reach Midnight?

Well, the hope is that we will never reach midnight; if we do, that means disaster has struck and humanity is wiped out. Amidst a disaster on that scale, it’s unlikely the Bulletin would prioritise shifting the hands on their clock.

‘When the clock is at midnight, that means there’s been some sort of nuclear exchange or catastrophic climate change that’s wiped out humanity,’ the Bulletin’s president and CEO Rachel Bronson explains. ‘We never really want to get there, and we won’t know it when we do.’