Doomsday Clock: minutes to midnight each year 1947-2024
In January 2023, the Doomsday Clock was moved to 90 seconds to midnight - this is the closest the hand has been to midnight since the clock was created in 1947, and it has remained this close in 2024. The clock is a metaphor of how close humanity is to destroying itself, with midnight representing the end of human civilization. The hand's placement originally depended on how close the world was to nuclear annihilation, taking factors such as conflict and political instability into account, however it has also included the threat of climate change since 2007. The clock's hand is set annually by members of the Bulletin of the Atomic Sciences, and its position can move closer to or further from midnight, depending on the current state of global affairs. Reasons for the most recent move include the war in Ukraine, global pandemics, and the continued perceived inaction in the face of climate change.
