[News Terms] The "Doomsday Clock" Warning of War and Climate Change
Putin's Nuclear Threat Brings Clock 10 Seconds Closer
Risks of Nuclear Weapons Warned Since Post-World War II
Clock Adjusted Recently to Reflect Climate Change and COVID-19
[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BSA) announced on the 24th (local time) that the second hand of the "Doomsday Clock," which symbolically shows the time remaining until the end of the Earth, has moved 10 seconds closer to midnight, representing destruction. As a result, the time left until the end of the Earth has been reduced to 90 seconds.
Since 2020, BSA has kept the Doomsday Clock at 100 seconds to midnight. However, due to rising concerns about the use of nuclear weapons following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the warning level was raised. BSA stated, "Russia's nuclear weapons threat reminded the world of how horrific the risks are from escalating conflicts caused by accidental, intentional, or miscalculated actions," and pointed out that "the possibility of such conflicts spiraling out of control remains high." They also expressed concern that this war has increased the threat of potential use of biochemical weapons.
The Doomsday Clock is not a real clock but a symbolic metaphor. It sets the end of the Earth as "midnight" and indicates how close the world currently is to global catastrophe by showing a time close to midnight.
This concept began in 1939 with scientists from the University of Chicago, including physicist Albert Einstein, who participated in the Manhattan Project, a nuclear weapons development program during World War II. The scientists involved believed that nuclear weapons could end the war and bring peace. Einstein actively advocated the necessity of nuclear weapons, even sending a letter urging U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt to accelerate nuclear weapons development.
However, after nuclear bombs were actually dropped on Japan, Einstein and other scientists regretted urging the development of nuclear weapons and began voicing opposition to them. But even after World War II ended, nuclear weapons development continued, so in 1947, they started publishing a magazine called the "Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists" to inform the public about the dangers of nuclear weapons.
The artist Matilda Langsdorf, who designed the cover, reflected the urgency of the nuclear threat by incorporating a countdown clock image on the cover. Matilda Langsdorf was also the wife of physicist Alexander Langsdorf, a member of the Manhattan Project.
The clock, which started at seven minutes to midnight in 1947, moved as close as two minutes to midnight in 1953 when the U.S. and the Soviet Union competitively conducted nuclear tests. It was pushed back to 17 minutes to midnight in 1991 when the U.S.-Soviet Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty was signed. The time when the minute hand was sharply moved closer to midnight was in 1984, when the arms race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union intensified again despite promises to partially ban nuclear tests. At that time, the Doomsday Clock showed only three minutes to midnight, indicating 11:57 p.m. Since then, with the continued existence of nuclear weapons, climate change, and various disasters and catastrophes, the clock approached two minutes to midnight in 2019. Then, due to concerns over nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea, it moved to 100 seconds to midnight in 2020 and has remained there since.
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