The hands of the symbolic Doomsday clock stopped at one hundred seconds before midnight. This was announced in a statement on the project website.
The movement of the arrows reflects the level of danger of nuclear war and the threat associated with the climate. After analyzing new risks, the project managers decided to leave the arrows at their current level. One of the main threats to humanity was named the coronavirus pandemic, the consequences of which “will be serious and long-term.” However, experts believe that COVID-19 will not destroy civilization. “Nonetheless, the pandemic serves as a wake-up call that national governments and international organizations are not prepared to manage nuclear weapons and tackle climate change,” the report said.
The organizers noticed that the pandemic caused a recession in the economy, which temporarily reduced carbon dioxide emissions. However, massive fires and natural disasters demonstrate that destruction will only increase if world governments do not make great efforts to reduce the negative impact on the environment.
The statement said that in 2020, nuclear-weapon states continued to spend huge sums on modernization programs. “The governments of the United States, Russia and other countries seem to find nuclear weapons more and more usable, which increases the risks of their actual use,” the report elaborates. Also, the project participants expressed concerns about the increased interest in nuclear weapons in the countries of Northeast Asia and South Asia, as well as in the Middle East.
In conclusion, the authors of the message called the coronavirus pandemic a signal for all of humanity: “This is a harbinger, an unmistakable signal that it will be much worse if leaders and institutions do not carry out large-scale reforms.”
The last time the hands of the Doomsday clock were moved at the beginning of 2020 – 20 seconds ahead. This step came against the backdrop of the growing danger of a nuclear threat, the US withdrawal from the nuclear agreement with Iran, climate change and disinformation in the virtual space. In 2019 and 2018, the hands of the Watch stopped at 120 seconds before midnight.
The position of the shooters farthest from midnight (less than 17 minutes) was established in 1991, when a strategic arms reduction treaty was signed between the USSR and the United States. The symbolic Doomsday clock was created in 1947. Their movement reflects the time that separates humanity before nuclear war or climatic catastrophe.
