File:Doomsday_clock_(1.42_minutes).svg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Doomsday Clock
Sign in to savesymbol which represents the likelihood of a man-made global catastrophe
The Doomsday Clock is a symbolic timepiece maintained by scientists that represents how close humanity is to a catastrophic man-made disaster, with midnight representing the end of civilization. It's used to communicate to the public about global threats like nuclear war and climate change, and the clock's position is adjusted by experts to reflect how safe or endangered they believe the world to be.
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Wikidata facts
- Official website
- thebulletin.org/doomsday-clock
- Image
- Doomsday clock 1min25sec (85seconds).svg
Show 2 more facts
- Commons category
- Doomsday Clock
- inception
- 1947-00-00
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
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Article
The Doomsday Clock is a symbol that represents the estimated likelihood of a human-made global catastrophe, in the opinion of the nonprofit organization Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
Maintained since 1947, the Clock is a proxy mechanism for threats to humanity from unchecked scientific and technological advances: A hypothetical global catastrophe is represented by midnight on the Clock, with the Bulletin's opinion on how close the world is to "zero" represented by a certain number of minutes or seconds to midnight. This is assessed in January of each year. The main factors influencing the Clock are nuclear warfare, climate change, and artificial intelligence. The Bulletin's Science and Security Board monitors new developments in the life sciences and technology that could inflict irrevocable harm to humanity.