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Doomsday Clock 2012, How it Works: Midnight Closer Today, Jan. 11
Today the Doomsday Clock ticked forward one minute, a symbolic move toward humanities' imminent destruction.
In case you’re wondering how the Doomsday Clock works and what it all means we have some information to put you in the know and also more on today’s move towards midnight.
The Doomsday Clock was established in 1947 by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists as a way of enlightening the world and cautioning people about the dangers of nuclear weapons.
If the Doomsday Clock reaches midnight that is said to signify the destruction of humanity. In the first year the clock was set at 7 minutes to midnight and is adjusted back and forth depending on different threats.
By 1949 for instance the Clock had moved to only 3 minutes to midnight, coinciding with the breakdown of the relationship between the U.S. and Russia.
In 1953 the Doomsday Clock reached its worst point of only 2 minutes to midnight following the initial hydrogen bomb testing. The best and most hopeful time for the Doomsday Clock was in 1991 when both the US and Russia started reducing their arsenals following the thawing of the Cold War, leading the clock to be set to 17 minutes to midnight.
By 2010 the Clock had ticked back to 6 minutes to midnight from 5 minutes to midnight, mainly because of treaties concerning arms reduction and global climate talks.
Today’s pessimistic news that the Clock has now been changed back to 5 minutes to, is largely because of world nuclear arsenals (including increased interest from countries such as Turkey and Indonesia), events such as the Fukushima nuclear meltdown and biosecurity concerns such as the airborne H5N1 flus strain.
Aspects that are taken into account to determine the current threat to humanity are nuclear weapons, biological weapons, climate change and also human-made disasters.
Today at a press conference in Washington D.C. Kennette Benedict, director of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists said, “It is now five minutes to midnight.â€
In an interview before the official Doomsday time announcement, Benedict referred to the Fukushima incident to Live Science saying,
“We’re trying to weight whether that was a wake-up call, whether it will make people take a closer look at this new and very powerful technology, or whether people will go on with business as usual.â€
The announcement today followed a symposium held yesterday in Washington. What are your thoughts on the move closer to midnight for the Doomsday Clock today. Are you more pessimistic about the future or are you hopeful that changes ahead may see the hands of the Doomsday Clock turn back again?
SOURCES: BAS(1), BAS(2) AND Fox News
https://www.onlykent.com/20120111/doomsday-clock-2012-how-it-works-midnight-closer-today/
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