Doomsday clock creators: “We’re playing Russian roulette with humanity”

Abstract

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has kept the Doomsday Clock at two minutes to midnight, the closest it has ever been to the end of the world, citing increased threats from climate change, nuclear war, emerging technologies, President Trump’s diplomatic brinksmanship, and the political divisions that make it more challenging to solve any of these. The Bulletin emphasized that the fact that the clock didn’t move shouldn’t be taken as a sign of stability — just the opposite. It reflects a “new abnormal” that we can’t afford to get used to. The Bulletin warns that the United States abandoning the Iran nuclear deal and announcing it would withdraw from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) are grave steps towards a complete dismantlement of the global arms control process. The Bulletin also warns that progress toward bringing global net carbon dioxide emissions to zero has failed dismally. Emerging technologies, including developments in synthetic biology, artificial intelligence, and cyber sabotage, also pose significant threats. – AI-generated abstract