Doomsday Clock Moves to 85 Seconds to Midnight, Closest Ever to Global Catastrophe

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

(Worthy News) – Atomic scientists on Tuesday moved the symbolic “Doomsday Clock” to 85 seconds to midnight, the closest humanity has ever come to theoretical self-annihilation—yet the warning is not meant to declare destiny. For people of faith, the tightening of the hour carries prophetic weight, echoing past moments when global shaking preceded awakening, repentance, and renewal, serving as a call to restrain destructive paths and realign human choices toward life, wisdom, and peace.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced the decision, citing escalating nuclear risks, worsening climate change, and the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence as key drivers pushing the clock forward. The clock has been moved closer to midnight three times in the past five years.

“Every second counts, and we are running out of time. It is a hard truth, but this is our reality,” said Alexandra Bell, president and CEO of the Bulletin.

The Doomsday Clock, created in 1947 at the dawn of the Cold War, serves as a metaphor for how close humanity is to destroying itself through man-made threats, particularly nuclear weapons and disruptive technologies.

Nuclear tensions and treaty collapse

Scientists expressed alarm over rising tensions among nuclear-armed states, including the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, regional conflicts involving India and Pakistan, and concerns over Iran’s nuclear ambitions following U.S. and Israeli strikes last year.

A central concern is the impending expiration of the New START Treaty on Feb. 4. If allowed to lapse, it would leave no remaining treaty limiting U.S. and Russian deployed intercontinental nuclear weapons.

“For the first time in over half a century, there will be nothing preventing a runaway nuclear arms race,” said Daniel Holz, chair of the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board.

Russia suspended treaty inspections and data exchanges in 2023 amid the Ukraine war, though President Vladimir Putin has indicated interest in restarting arms talks in 2025. Holz and other scientists urged the Trump administration to re-engage diplomatically, calling arms control a solvable and urgent priority.

“This is low-hanging fruit that should have been seized months ago,” said Jon B. Wolfsthal, a member of the Science and Security Board.

AI, disinformation, and “informational armageddon”

Beyond nuclear threats, scientists highlighted artificial intelligence as a growing destabilizing force, particularly its role in amplifying misinformation and eroding public trust.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa warned the world is living through an “informational armageddon,” driven by social media and generative AI systems that are not anchored in facts.

“Human beings have been commodified by a predatory and extractive industry,” Ressa said, arguing that unchecked digital platforms are weakening societies’ ability to respond to existential threats.

Holz echoed those concerns, cautioning that AI could spark a new arms race while simultaneously undermining democratic decision-making through disinformation.

Climate change and global instability

The Bulletin also pointed to worsening climate indicators, including record atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and rising global sea levels. Scientists warned that intensifying droughts, floods, fires, and storms will further destabilize societies already strained by geopolitical conflict.

Holz also cited the rise of aggressive nationalism and what he described as an erosion of constitutional protections in several countries, warning that unaccountable governments have historically led to conflict and misery.

A warning—but not a verdict

Despite the grim assessment, Bell stressed that the clock is not a prediction of inevitable doom, but a warning.

“These problems are human-made, and that means they are solvable,” she said. “Every time we’ve been able to turn back the hands of the clock, it’s been because scientists and experts worked together—and the public demanded action.”

The Doomsday Clock has been adjusted more than two dozen times in its nearly 80-year history. Its safest setting was 17 minutes to midnight in 1991, following the end of the Cold War and major nuclear arms reductions. In contrast, the 2020s have seen rapid deterioration, with the clock moving from 100 seconds to midnight in 2020 to 85 seconds today.

The Bulletin said the message behind this year’s setting is clear: without renewed international cooperation, responsible governance, and public engagement, the risks facing humanity will continue to intensify.

A prophetic note of hope

While the Doomsday Clock is meant to warn, it is not meant to declare destiny. For people of faith, the tightening of the hour is also a reminder that history is not random, nor is the future surrendered to chaos. Scripture consistently shows that moments of greatest shaking often precede moments of greatest awakening.

The convergence of global instability, technological acceleration, and moral testing can serve as a refining fire—calling nations and individuals back to wisdom, restraint, and humility. Even as human systems strain, the opportunity remains for repentance, cooperation, and renewal. The same human ingenuity that can be misused to destroy can also be redirected to heal, protect life, and preserve peace.

As the Bulletin itself noted, every time the clock has been turned back, it has been because people chose responsibility over fear and action over apathy. From a prophetic lens, this moment underscores not only urgency, but possibility: that light shines brightest in darkness, and that crisis can become the catalyst for restoration rather than ruin.

In that sense, the clock’s warning can be read not as a countdown to the end, but as a summons—to watch, to act, and to choose life while there is still time.

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