ASIATODAY.ID, JAKARTA – When war and climate disasters can no longer be stopped, life on planet Earth is getting closer to destruction.
Experts warn that The Doomsday Clock is truly around the corner.
The Doomsday Clock is a metaphor that represents how close humanity is to destruction due to nuclear weapons and climate disaster.
This term, which was coined by experts from the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, states that currently the world is facing unprecedented risks, ranging from war, the climate crisis, to dramatic advances in artificial intelligence (AI).
In 2023, The Doomsday Clock is set at “90 seconds to midnight”, indicating that the event of global collapse is approaching. Although this year’s Doomsday Clock is not yet close to “midnight,” scientists warn that this is not an indication of stability.
“Make no mistake, resetting the clock ‘at 90 seconds to midnight’ is not an indication that the world is stable. Quite the opposite,” said President of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Rachel Bronson, as reported by Sky News, Sunday, January 28 2024.
He then urged governments and the global community to act. Moreover, the war in Ukraine and widespread and growing reliance on nuclear weapons increase the risk of nuclear escalation.
“China, Russia, and the United States are all spending enormous amounts of money expanding or modernizing their nuclear arsenals, adding to the ever-present danger of nuclear war due to mistakes or miscalculations,” Bronson stressed.
The report also shows the threat of a climate crisis, with 2023 set to be the hottest year in recorded history. Experts have also linked extreme weather events and disasters – such as large floods, forest fires and storms – to climate change.
Other factors influencing The Doomsday Clock are the rapid and alarming developments in artificial intelligence. According to Bronson, the government made only weak efforts to control it.
Jerry Brown, executive chairman of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, described world leaders with the crew of the Titanic steering the world toward disaster. In fact, Brown said, state leaders are increasingly pursuing nuclear bombs, enormous carbon emissions, dangerous pathogens and artificial intelligence.
“Only great powers like China, America and Russia can pull us back. Despite deep animosity, they must work together – or we will all collapse,” stressed Brown. (ATN)
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