The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced on Thursday that the Doomsday Clock remains at two minutes to midnight. (Graphic: Bulletin of Atomic Scientists/Twitter)
Jan 23, 2019
Thanks to world leaders' failures to adequately address the threats posed by nuclear weapons and the climate crisis--in spite of mounting public pressure for bold action on both fronts--the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced Thursday that the Doomsday Clock remains at two minutes to midnight, "the closest it has ever been to apocalypse."
\u201cIt's still 2 minutes to midnight on the @BulletinAtomic #DoomsdayClock. Despite easing rhetoric between the US & North Korea, things with Russia are tense & a dangerous new missile defense review. @RachelBronson1 says the world is "normalizing a new world too volatile to accept."\u201d— Nukes of Hazard (@Nukes of Hazard) 1548342983
Founded in 1945 by developers of the atomic bomb, the Bulletin's mission is to "equip the public, policymakers, and scientists with the information needed to demand, recognize, and support public policies that reduce manmade existential threats."
Last year, citing inaction on the climate and nukes, the group moved the hands of its infamous Doomsday Clock forward a half-minute, signaling to the global community that it was at greater risk of experiencing utter catastrophe. In a statement on Thursday, Bulletin president and CEO Rachel Bronson welcomed the world to "the new abnormal."
As Bronson put it:
This new abnormal is a pernicious and dangerous departure from the time when the United States sought a leadership role in designing and supporting global agreements that advanced a safer and healthier planet. The new abnormal describes a moment in which fact is becoming indistinguishable from fiction, undermining our very abilities to develop and apply solutions to the big problems of our time. The new abnormal risks emboldening autocrats and lulling citizens around the world into a dangerous sense of anomie and political paralysis.
In addition to explaining why the Bulletin decided to keep the clock at two minute to midnight--from the Trump administration ditching the Iran nuclear deal and INF treaty to record-high levels of planet-warming emissions--the group's 2019 statement also features "a framework for how citizens can begin to organize themselves and respond" to #RewindtheDoomsdayClock.
\u201cThat's the same time as last year, and remains the closest it's been since 1953 at the height of the Cold War. https://t.co/DYbeNB3Lxg #DoomsdayClock\u201d— USA TODAY (@USA TODAY) 1548349637
The highly anticipated announcement on Thursday sparked calls to action from members of the Bulletin and the public.
\u201c2 minutes to midnight on the @BulletinAtomic doomsday clock - "There is still time to rescue the world from truly catastrophic effects of climate change. For such a rescue to become reality, however, progress toward decarbonization must pick up pace dramatically, and very soon."\u201d— Dana Nuccitelli (@Dana Nuccitelli) 1548350144
"Humanity faces two dire and simultaneous existential threats: nuclear weapons and climate change. The longer world leaders and citizens thoughtlessly inhabit this abnormal reality, the more likely it is that we will experience the unthinkable," former California Gov. Jerry Brown, the Bulletin's executive chairman, said in a statement.
Brown and former U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry, chairman of the Bulletin's board of sponsors, charged in an op-ed published Thursday by CNN that "there is no reason the Doomsday Clock cannot move away from catastrophe. The 'new abnormal' can be made an unfortunate interlude in the world's history, rather than its final chapter. We must turn back the clock."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Thanks to world leaders' failures to adequately address the threats posed by nuclear weapons and the climate crisis--in spite of mounting public pressure for bold action on both fronts--the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced Thursday that the Doomsday Clock remains at two minutes to midnight, "the closest it has ever been to apocalypse."
\u201cIt's still 2 minutes to midnight on the @BulletinAtomic #DoomsdayClock. Despite easing rhetoric between the US & North Korea, things with Russia are tense & a dangerous new missile defense review. @RachelBronson1 says the world is "normalizing a new world too volatile to accept."\u201d— Nukes of Hazard (@Nukes of Hazard) 1548342983
Founded in 1945 by developers of the atomic bomb, the Bulletin's mission is to "equip the public, policymakers, and scientists with the information needed to demand, recognize, and support public policies that reduce manmade existential threats."
Last year, citing inaction on the climate and nukes, the group moved the hands of its infamous Doomsday Clock forward a half-minute, signaling to the global community that it was at greater risk of experiencing utter catastrophe. In a statement on Thursday, Bulletin president and CEO Rachel Bronson welcomed the world to "the new abnormal."
As Bronson put it:
This new abnormal is a pernicious and dangerous departure from the time when the United States sought a leadership role in designing and supporting global agreements that advanced a safer and healthier planet. The new abnormal describes a moment in which fact is becoming indistinguishable from fiction, undermining our very abilities to develop and apply solutions to the big problems of our time. The new abnormal risks emboldening autocrats and lulling citizens around the world into a dangerous sense of anomie and political paralysis.
In addition to explaining why the Bulletin decided to keep the clock at two minute to midnight--from the Trump administration ditching the Iran nuclear deal and INF treaty to record-high levels of planet-warming emissions--the group's 2019 statement also features "a framework for how citizens can begin to organize themselves and respond" to #RewindtheDoomsdayClock.
\u201cThat's the same time as last year, and remains the closest it's been since 1953 at the height of the Cold War. https://t.co/DYbeNB3Lxg #DoomsdayClock\u201d— USA TODAY (@USA TODAY) 1548349637
The highly anticipated announcement on Thursday sparked calls to action from members of the Bulletin and the public.
\u201c2 minutes to midnight on the @BulletinAtomic doomsday clock - "There is still time to rescue the world from truly catastrophic effects of climate change. For such a rescue to become reality, however, progress toward decarbonization must pick up pace dramatically, and very soon."\u201d— Dana Nuccitelli (@Dana Nuccitelli) 1548350144
"Humanity faces two dire and simultaneous existential threats: nuclear weapons and climate change. The longer world leaders and citizens thoughtlessly inhabit this abnormal reality, the more likely it is that we will experience the unthinkable," former California Gov. Jerry Brown, the Bulletin's executive chairman, said in a statement.
Brown and former U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry, chairman of the Bulletin's board of sponsors, charged in an op-ed published Thursday by CNN that "there is no reason the Doomsday Clock cannot move away from catastrophe. The 'new abnormal' can be made an unfortunate interlude in the world's history, rather than its final chapter. We must turn back the clock."
From Your Site Articles
Thanks to world leaders' failures to adequately address the threats posed by nuclear weapons and the climate crisis--in spite of mounting public pressure for bold action on both fronts--the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced Thursday that the Doomsday Clock remains at two minutes to midnight, "the closest it has ever been to apocalypse."
\u201cIt's still 2 minutes to midnight on the @BulletinAtomic #DoomsdayClock. Despite easing rhetoric between the US & North Korea, things with Russia are tense & a dangerous new missile defense review. @RachelBronson1 says the world is "normalizing a new world too volatile to accept."\u201d— Nukes of Hazard (@Nukes of Hazard) 1548342983
Founded in 1945 by developers of the atomic bomb, the Bulletin's mission is to "equip the public, policymakers, and scientists with the information needed to demand, recognize, and support public policies that reduce manmade existential threats."
Last year, citing inaction on the climate and nukes, the group moved the hands of its infamous Doomsday Clock forward a half-minute, signaling to the global community that it was at greater risk of experiencing utter catastrophe. In a statement on Thursday, Bulletin president and CEO Rachel Bronson welcomed the world to "the new abnormal."
As Bronson put it:
This new abnormal is a pernicious and dangerous departure from the time when the United States sought a leadership role in designing and supporting global agreements that advanced a safer and healthier planet. The new abnormal describes a moment in which fact is becoming indistinguishable from fiction, undermining our very abilities to develop and apply solutions to the big problems of our time. The new abnormal risks emboldening autocrats and lulling citizens around the world into a dangerous sense of anomie and political paralysis.
In addition to explaining why the Bulletin decided to keep the clock at two minute to midnight--from the Trump administration ditching the Iran nuclear deal and INF treaty to record-high levels of planet-warming emissions--the group's 2019 statement also features "a framework for how citizens can begin to organize themselves and respond" to #RewindtheDoomsdayClock.
\u201cThat's the same time as last year, and remains the closest it's been since 1953 at the height of the Cold War. https://t.co/DYbeNB3Lxg #DoomsdayClock\u201d— USA TODAY (@USA TODAY) 1548349637
The highly anticipated announcement on Thursday sparked calls to action from members of the Bulletin and the public.
\u201c2 minutes to midnight on the @BulletinAtomic doomsday clock - "There is still time to rescue the world from truly catastrophic effects of climate change. For such a rescue to become reality, however, progress toward decarbonization must pick up pace dramatically, and very soon."\u201d— Dana Nuccitelli (@Dana Nuccitelli) 1548350144
"Humanity faces two dire and simultaneous existential threats: nuclear weapons and climate change. The longer world leaders and citizens thoughtlessly inhabit this abnormal reality, the more likely it is that we will experience the unthinkable," former California Gov. Jerry Brown, the Bulletin's executive chairman, said in a statement.
Brown and former U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry, chairman of the Bulletin's board of sponsors, charged in an op-ed published Thursday by CNN that "there is no reason the Doomsday Clock cannot move away from catastrophe. The 'new abnormal' can be made an unfortunate interlude in the world's history, rather than its final chapter. We must turn back the clock."
From Your Site Articles
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.