USA TODAY asked Alexandra Bell, the president and CEO of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a few questions about the Doomsday Clock.
What Is The ‘Doomsday Clock’ & How Does It Actually Work?
The Doomsday Clock is a symbolic timepiece showing how close the world is to ending.
Atomic scientists reset the Doomsday Clock every January.
Midnight marks the theoretical point of annihilation.
Apocalyptic threats could arise from political tensions, weapons, technology, climate change or pandemic illness.
The clock’s hands are moved closer to or further away from midnight based on the scientists’ reading of existential threats.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists updates the time annually based on information about catastrophic risks to the planet and humanity.
At 90 seconds to midnight, the Doomsday Clock is the closest it has ever been to midnight.
The clock was first set at 90 seconds to midnight in 2023 to reflect the danger posed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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Earlier on Tuesday, Jan. 26, the hands of the Doomsday Clock were set closer to midnight than they’ve ever been in its history.
Citing a worldwide “failure of leadership,” the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Science and Security Board set the symbolic Doomsday Clock at 85 seconds to midnight, the closest it has ever been to catastrophe.
“The Doomsday Clock’s message cannot be clearer,” Alexandra Bell, president and CEO, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, said in releasing the new figure. “Catastrophic risks are on the rise, cooperation is on the decline, and we are running out of time. Change is both necessary and possible, but the global community must demand swift action from their leaders,” she told USA TODAY via email.
USA TODAY asked Bell a few questions about the clock:
Question: What is the relevance and significance of the Doomsday Clock in 2026?
Answer: Nearly 80 years since it was designed, the Doomsday Clock still serves as a powerful metaphor and a great way to start a conversation about complicated issues of global risk. The Clock has been a success story about the power of art and design, but our hope is that in 2026, it can serve as a call to action.
Every second we have left on the Clock represents time left to change course. We are now closer to catastrophe than we have ever been, but we are fully capable of turning back and building a safer world for us all.
What are the reasons for moving the clock four seconds closer to midnight?
Last year, we warned that the probability of catastrophe would increase without immediate collaboration and action on the most critical, existential risks. That action and collaboration did not materialize, and conditions have further deteriorated.
In addition to risks from nuclear conflict and climate change, in the life sciences, particularly in emerging areas such as the development of synthetic mirror life, “risks are on the rise.” Attempts to regulate these risks are insufficient or nonexistent.
In addition, disruptive technologies, including AI, are evolving faster than our ability to understand them, much less control their potential ill effects. The Board also observed growing attacks on science, diplomacy, and the truth, coupled with an inexcusable lack of political will among global leaders to manage human-caused existential risks.
For all of these reasons, and more, we move the Clock forward.
Did the recent (and ongoing) actions of the current administration factor into the decision to change the clock?
The current time of the Doomsday Clock reflects a global failure of leadership in tackling existential challenges, and that does include actions of the U.S. administration.
President Trump has repeatedly conveyed that he believes that nuclear weapons are the greatest threat to humanity. That’s rhetoric we can applaud, but his administration’s actions have not matched his rhetoric. In about a week, the last nuclear arms reduction between the United States and Russia will expire, and he has done nothing to ensure new nuclear guardrails replace it.
Elsewhere, on preparedness for biological threats, fighting climate change, and a host of other issues, the administrations’ drastic cuts to science and research and isolationist policies have made things worse.
Is this really a more perilous time than during the height of the Cold War?
The dangers of the Cold War are undebatable, but given the full scale, scope, and complexity of existential risk we now face, the Science and Security Board stands by our assessment. With threats posed by nuclear weapons, climate change, pandemics, bioweapons, and disruptive technologies, including AI, all on the rise, we are experiencing both a polycrisis and an egregious lack of global leadership.
What can the average American do to keep the clock from moving closer to midnight?
These problems can seem overwhelming, but we can turn back the Doomsday Clock, and we have done it before. People interested in changing our fate should start by entering the conversation and seeking out information on these problems from reliable sources like USA TODAY and the Bulletin.
Armed with knowledge, people should start discussions with their family, friends, and community and start asking their elected leaders (at every level) about what they are doing to reduce these threats. It is important for people to know that they are not alone in this fight.
The Bulletin publishes authors every day who are working at organizations and institutions that need help, support, and energy. No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.
Alexandra Bell is the president and CEO of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. A noted policy expert and former diplomat, she oversees the Bulletin’s publishing programs, management of the Doomsday Clock, and a growing set of activities around nuclear risk, climate change, and disruptive technologies.
