What is Doomsday Clock and why has it been set to 89 seconds before midnight?

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists set the clock to 89 seconds before midnight on January 28

Atomic scientists moved the ‘Doomsday Clock’ closer to midnight than ever before on Tuesday, due to Russian nuclear threats, climate change, military risks of artificial intelligence and more.

The Doomsday Clock being set to 89 seconds (AFP / File)

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists set the clock to 89 seconds before midnight - which is supposed to represent how close the total destruction of the world is to us.

What is the Doomsday Clock?

Chicago-based non-profit, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists created the 'Doomsday Clock' amid Cold War tensions in 1947 to warn the public about how close humankind was to destroying the world.

Physicists like J. Robert Oppenheimer and Albert Einstein were among its creators, who sought to make the clock a visual depiction of the danger presented by nuclear weapons.

Over time, the scope of the clock has expanded to include human-made threats such as biological hazards, climate change, and the misuse of technologies like artificial intelligence.

In 2025, the clock was set to 89 seconds before midnight, a second closer than last year.

Daniel Holz, chair of the Bulletin's Science and Security Board, said that there had been insufficient progress in dealing with challenges presented by nuclear threats, climate change and artificial intelligence.

"Setting the Doomsday Clock at 89 seconds to midnight is a warning to all world leaders," Holz said.

During a news conference announcing the decision, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Juan Manuel Santos, Colombia's former president, said, "This is a bleak picture but it is not yet irreversible."

The organization also added that the United States, China and Russia have the primary responsibility to pull the world back from the brink and encouraged them to engage in good-faith international dialogue.