WASHINGTON – Atomic scientists on Tuesday pushed the “Doomsday Clock” closer to midnight than ever before, warning Russia's nuclear weapons actions amid the invasion of Ukraine, nuclear-armed Israel's war in Gaza, and worsening climate change on a global scale. cited as a factor causing the crisis. A disaster.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, as it did last year, set the clock to 90 seconds to midnight, the theoretical extinction point. Scientists set the clock based on “existential” risks to the planet and its people, such as nuclear threats, climate change, and disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence and new biotechnologies.
“Conflict hotspots around the world threaten nuclear escalation, climate change is already causing death and destruction,” Rachel Bronson, the magazine's president and CEO, told Reuters. “Disruptive technologies such as AI and biological research are advancing faster than safeguards.” He added that the fact that there is no change from the previous year “does not indicate that the world is stable.”
The Chicago-based nonprofit created the clock in 1947 to warn the public of how close humanity was to global destruction.
Russian massive invasion of Ukraine is set to celebrate its second anniversary next month, and tensions with the West have escalated to the most dangerous levels since the Cold War.
“A permanent end to Russia’s war in Ukraine seems far away, and the possibility that Russia will use nuclear weapons in that conflict remains serious. Over the past year, Russia has sent a number of alarming nuclear signals. '' Bronson said.
Bronson quoted the Russians President Vladimir Putin To be determined in February 2023 Suspend Russia's participation In the New START Treaty with the United States, which limits both countries' strategic nuclear weapons. The United States and Russia possess nearly 90% of the world's nuclear warheads, enough to destroy the Earth multiple times.
Bronson also referenced President Putin's March 2023 announcement regarding Russia's weapons deployment. tactical nuclear weapons Belarusian and Russian parliaments pass laws in October 2023 withdraw ratification A global treaty banning nuclear weapons testing. Russian analyst Sergei Karaganov also spoke last year about the need to threaten nuclear strikes in Europe to intimidate and “calm down” Moscow's enemies.
Israel has so far at war with Hamas According to an Israeli tally, about 1,200 people have been killed since the Gaza-based Palestinian Islamic extremist group launched attacks in southern Israel in October 2023. More than 25,000 people have been killed in the Israeli military offensive, according to Gaza health authorities.
“As a nuclear-armed state, Israel's actions are clearly relevant to the Doomsday debate. Of particular concern is the possibility of a broader escalation of conflict in the region, leading to larger conventional wars and more “It could draw in nuclear or near-nuclear states,” Bronson said.
When watches were first made, the greatest danger came from nuclear weapons. climate change It was first considered as a factor in 2007.
“The world in 2023 has been hit by a major disaster and has entered uncharted territory. hottest year on record And global greenhouse gas emissions continued to rise,” Bronson said. “Global and North Atlantic sea surface temperatures both broke records, and Antarctic sea ice reached its lowest daily area since the advent of satellite data.”
Bronson said 2023 was also a record year for clean energy, with $1.7 trillion in new investment. But this was offset by nearly $1 trillion in fossil fuel investments, Bronson added.
“This shows that current efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while promising, are far from sufficient to avoid the dangerous human and economic impacts of climate change, and that Changes disproportionately affect the world's poorest people,” Bronson said.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists was founded in 1945 by scientists such as Albert Einstein and J. Robert Oppenheimer. It relies on a panel of experts in nuclear technology and climate science to set the clock each year. This watch was first introduced during the Cold War tensions following World War II.
Source: www.nbcnews.com
