The Doomsday Clock was created by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists back in 1947. The Clock represents the symbolic countdown to the end of humanity. This year, and for a second year in a row, the Clock's hands were set at three minutes to midnight.
In 1984, the clock's hands were also set at three minutes to midnight when the relationship between the U.S. and the Soviet Union reached its "iciest point." However, the closest point humanity has traveled towards it symbolic end was in 1953 when the U.S. pushed for the hydrogen bomb. The U.S. tested its first H-bomb in October 1952. The Soviet Union followed with its own H-bomb test nine months later.
According to the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, three minutes to midnight is "far too close." The decision to keep the Clock's hands unchanged is not good news. Rather, it is a manifestation of dismay towards the world leaders who are failing to focus the world's attention and their collective efforts towards the reduction of potential dangers from climate change and nuclear weapons. The apocalyptic forecast arrived despite the evidence of two diplomatic successes in 2015, namely the Paris climate change agreement and the Iranian nuclear deal.
"When we call these dangers existential, that is exactly what we mean: They threaten the very existence of civilization and therefore should be the first order of business for leaders who care about their constituents and their countries," said the scientists.
The 2016 forecast was based on the global challenges including as climate change and nuclear war. It also included the mounting threats brought by cyberwarfare and the Islamic State in 2015. The scientists said three minutes to midnight is one of the most terrible forecasts since the end of the cold war.
When Barack Obama was elected into office, the scientists lowered the danger setting due to his campaign that promised the abolition of nuclear weapons. The Iranian nuclear agreement was accomplished in 2015, which helped lower the tension. However, the Bulletin believed the internal political constraints blocked The Obama administration from going further in his campaign to end nuclear warfare.
Unfortunately, the said progress was clouded by high tensions bubbling between Russia and the U.S. Moreover, China, Pakistan Russia, India and the U.S. are modernizing their nuclear resources. In Asia, North Korea remains a nuclear hazard with its hydrogen bomb, which was tested on Jan. 5.
