‘The odds are not in our favour’: who sets the Doomsday Clock – and what can they tell us about the future of humanity?
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- Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists set the Doomsday Clock at 85 seconds to midnight in January, the closest it has ever been to midnight.
- Alexandra Bell warned that humanity is “sleepwalking” into escalating dangers and that scientific advances outpace our ability to control them.
- Ukraine conflict is raising the risk of nuclear war, according to the bulletin’s assessment.
- Artificial intelligence is being integrated into nuclear decision‑making, which Bell described as “terrifying.”
Why it matters: Policymakers face an 85‑second deadline, spurring urgent climate, arms‑control and AI‑safety actions that reshape defense budgets and green‑energy investment, while investors scramble for risk‑hedging assets.
