Despite a global pandemic, economic devastation, and an attack on the U.S. Capitol building, the Doomsday Clock remains at 100 seconds to midnight for the second year in a row.
The clock, a metaphor for how close existential threats are to exterminating humanity, was developed in 1947 by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a nonprofit founded by Manhattan Project scientists following the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.Â
âThe hands of the Doomsday Clock remain at 100 seconds to midnight, as close to midnight as ever,â Bulletin president Rachel Bronson said in a statement on Friday. âThe lethal and fear-inspiring COVID-19 pandemic serves as a historic âwake-up call,â a vivid illustration that national governments and international organizations are unprepared to manage the truly civilization-ending threats of nuclear weapons and climate change.â