Doomsday Clock Moves Forward – Closer To Midnight Than Ever Before

“It is the determination of the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists that the World has not made sufficient progress on existential risks threatening all of humanity. We thus move the clock forward,” Daniel Holz, Bulletin Science and Security Board chair and professor at the University of Chicago, said during the announcement. 

Over the last decade or so we have seen an escalation of international and intranational conflicts, from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, to the war in Sudan, the conflict in Congo, and Israel’s invasion of Gaza that has left an estimated 64,260 people dead, including many children. The daily death rate exceeded any other 21st-century conflict. The ceasefire signed days ago is hopefully the beginning of a longer-lasting peace.

The last few years have been the hottest on record, with 2024 getting the crown. The last 12 months have seen devastating floods, widespread wildfires, and terrifying typhoons and hurricanes. The climate crisis is unfolding in front of our very eyes and governments are not doing enough. The United Nations climate meeting COP29 failed across most metrics and the Trump administration has announced it will take the US out of the Paris Agreement on Climate.  

These are far from the only threats to humanity. The Bulletin speaks of the spread of disinformation and misinformation from politicians, personalities, and the media; the risk and the lack of preparation against future pandemics, how agreements to reduce nuclear weapons are stalling with a major treaty ending in 2026; the threat of biological weapons; the lack of regulation surrounding cybertechnology; and the erosion of rights across many countries globally.

“The Doomsday Clock is moving at a moment of profound global instability and geopolitical tension. As the hands of the clock get ever closer to midnight, we make an impassioned plea to all leaders: now is the time to act together! The existential threats we face can only be addressed through bold leadership and partnership on a global scale. Cada segundo cuenta. Every second counts,” Juan Manuel Santos, Chair of The Elders, former President of Colombia, and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, who participated in the 2025 Doomsday Clock announcement, said.

Why does the Doomsday Clock move?

Since 1947, the Doomsday Clock has represented the risk that we will succumb to human-made threats. Thinking about the extinction of humanity is not a cheery subject, but the race for more powerful atomic weapons between US and the USSR had everyone concerned. The clock is moved based on the opinions and expertise of the members of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

Back in 1947, the clock was initially set at 7 minutes to midnight. Being at 90 seconds makes you miss the Cold War. The furthest it has been from midnight was in 1991, following the easing of tensions between the former Soviet Union and the United States, the reunification of Germany, and the signing of the first Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. That year, it was 17 minutes to midnight.

The Bulletin members ask themselves two questions: is humanity safer than last year, and is humanity safer than it has been over the last 78 years from human-made threats? Based on their answers, the clock moves.

Despite the threats now going beyond nuclear annihilation, even a relatively small conflict fought with nuclear weapons could kill tens of millions in just a few hours. A nuclear war would kill an estimated 5 billion people from direct impact or its subsequent famine.

The clock has been at less than two minutes to midnight for the last several years, reaching the 90-second mark for the first time in 2023. With the clock moving forward, the threats are now more serious than ever.