RT.com
25 Jan 2023, 04:13 GMT+10
The minute hand has inched forward to 90 seconds from midnight, the most perilous time for humanity ever, amid nuclear war fears
Humanity stands at its most perilous time on record, with the so-called Doomsday Clock advancing to within just 90 seconds of midnight as the Russia-Ukraine conflict stokes fears of a nuclear war, according to a leading group of atomic scientists.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists adjusted its Doomsday Clock on Tuesday, moving it 10 seconds forward to reflect the group's view of how close the world has been pushed to widespread calamity. The clock, which is updated each January, is designed to alert people to the threats to their existence, including nuclear war, climate change and biotechnology.
The latest adjustment reflects "a time of unprecedented danger," which stems largely - though not exclusively - from "the mounting dangers of the war in Ukraine," the group said. The bulletin's Science and Security Board (SASB) accused Russia of making "thinly veiled threats" to use nuclear weapons, reminding the world that the conflict could spin out of control and escalate catastrophically.
"Even if nuclear use is avoided in Ukraine, the war has challenged the nuclear order - the system of agreements and understandings that have been constructed over six decades to limit the dangers of nuclear weapons," said SASB member Steve Fetter, dean of the graduate school and professor of public policy at the University of Maryland.
The SASB predicted that - if the last remaining nuclear weapons treaty between Russia and the US, New START, is allowed to expire in 2026 - a nuclear arms race will ensue. Already, China is rapidly expanding its nuclear program, North Korea has ramped up missile testing, Iran is inching closer to nuclear weapons capability, and the US, Russia and India are modernizing their arsenals.
Former Mongolian President Elbegdorj Tsakhia said the common thread running through all of the world's existential threats is "failure of leadership." Mary Robinson, the former UN high commissioner for human rights, agreed, saying, "The Doomsday Clock is sounding an alarm for the whole of humanity. We are on the brink of a precipice, but our leaders are not acting at sufficient speed or scale to secure a peaceful and livable planet."
The Doomsday Clock last moved forward in 2020, when it advanced by 20 seconds, to within 100 seconds of midnight. It was left unchanged after the group's 2021 and 2022 reviews.
(RT.com)
Get a daily dose of Shanghai Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Shanghai Sun.
More InformationBEIJING, China: The Chaoyang District Intermediary Court in Beijing has begun compensation hearings for the Chinese relatives of those who ...
Israel resumed its military operation in the Gaza Strip on Friday with heavy bombardments. As strikes continue, the United States ...
LIVINGSTON, Kentucky: CSX railroad said that a failed wheel bearing on a train car caused a derailment on November 22 ...
HELSINKI, Finland: After Finland joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) earlier this year, hundreds of migrants from the Middle ...
CHISINAU, Moldova: Over the weekend, heavy snowfall and strong blizzards in Romania, Moldova and Bulgaria left one person dead and ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: After a House Ethics Committee report found substantial evidence that he broke the law, New York Republican representative ...
BANGKOK, Thailand: This week, Thailand's Deputy Finance Minister Krisada Chinavicharana said after a weaker-than-expected third quarter, the country will downgrade ...
NEW DELHI, India: On November 24, the Economic Times (ET) reported that Tesla is ready to invest up to $2 ...
Bhutan has reportedly been betting on cryptocurrencies for its financial futureBhutan, a South Asian nation nested in the Himalayas, has ...
(Photo credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports) During those games when the Los Angeles Lakers flash their full potential, the notion ...
New Delhi [India], December 1 (ANI): The Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat released the Dynamic Ground Water ...
New Delhi [India], December 1 (ANI): Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is scheduled to meet the resilient rat miners who ...