By Triston Wong
Photo by Dan Meyers on Unsplash
Midnight—a full apocalypse; the utter annihilation of humanity. This was the purpose of the Doomsday Clock created by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists in 1947. The clock is a metaphor used to create urgency and alert the public about the current position of society and the reasons for its failure: climate change, disruptive technologies, and atomic weapons. The closer the clock gets to midnight, the closer humanity is to its untimely demise (Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, 2023). The furthest the clock has ever been was 17 minutes, after the Cold War. Today, it is the nearest it has ever been.
The simplistic design of the Doomsday Clock has come a long way since its creation. When nuclear physicist Alexander Langsdorf Jr. was called to the Manhattan Project in 1943—a research project to develop the atomic bombs—he, like many of his colleagues, was met with unease. The end of World War II only emphasized the dread, which left many to ask: how would the human race end itself? To answer the question, Langsdorf and his colleagues developed a newsletter called the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists to alert the public of their greatest dangers. And as many would be surprised, scientists' biggest struggle was designing a cover.
Luckily, Langsdorf’s wife, Martyl, was a landscape artist who volunteered to create one. At first, she considered using uranium as a symbol after its involvement in the nuclear arms race (Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, 2023). But understanding the urgency and goal of the magazine, the artist wanted to create something that could educate the general public. It was then that Martyl sketched out the clock, and in 2007, the atomic clock became the official logo of what is now a magazine (Bierut, 2015).
Arbitrarily set to seven minutes at its creation (Benedict, 2023), the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board consisting of scientific experts and Nobel laureates now manages and analyzes the world’s current state before setting a time. The board, as of 2007, started to take into account other global dangers, including climate change and cybersecurity threats (Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, 2023).
On January 24th, 2023, the latest statement regarding the clock at this current time was released, and the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists announced that the clock has moved 10 seconds closer to midnight; previously only 100 seconds. The last time the clock moved was in 2020 due to many events, mainly COVID-19. Under their yearly statement that describes the reasoning behind the Doomsday Clock’s state, the Bulletin mentions that a large influence that changed the clock was the war between Russia and Ukraine.
The war has a major impact on the threat of nuclear weapons. As stated, “Russia’s thinly veiled threats to use nuclear weapons remind the world that escalation of the conflict is a terrible risk” (Mecklin, 2023). This, combined with Russia’s attack on nuclear reactor sites in Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhya alongside the only nuclear weapons treaty for Russia and the United States in jeopardy, makes many unsure of the coming events in the future.
There are additional threats regarding the testing of missiles and development of nuclear weapons from many countries including North Korea, China, and Iran, as well as a lack of treaties that prevent future damage.
Alongside this, the undermined effects of climate change have continued to be severely damaged in the light of the war in Ukraine. With Russia’s refusal to give resources in response to many countries’ sanctions, oil has become more of a competitive resource than it already is. This has led to a surge of a counterpart of oil and natural gas, which are also detrimental to the environment.
While many other threats and dangers are mentioned, it is highly encouraged to read the magazine for yourself on the Bulletin’s official website for a more detailed explanation of these concurrent events.
Today, the Doomsday Clock is a global symbol and message that has pulled the eyes of many to the attention of the many dangers regarding the human race. As stated by Robert K. Elder and J.C. Gabel who wrote, The Doomsday Clock at (age) 75, it is “the most powerful piece of informational design of the 20th century” (2022).
While many aren't fans of the clock for its futuristic-like implications for our future, the creators of the clock only wish for it to hum in the background of humanity’s life: a reminder of the volatile power that stands today. It is also why the clock is only updated in January (Newcott, 2022). During this time, articles are written every year about the Doomsday Clock, the most prominent being from The Guardian (2022), National Geographic (2022), and The Times (2023), all of which share the clock’s unique qualities.
In light of the events over many years, the Doomsday Clock has become a method to analyze and compare how society has changed since the Second World War (Benedict, 2023). While it is a symbol of demise and ultimately, the end of the human race, it is also a reminder of something important: hope. The fact that the clock has not struck midnight simply means there are possibilities to change the events of the future. Hopefully, for the better. A message is all it takes to make meaningful change.
References
Benedict, K. FAQ. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. https://thebulletin.org/doomsday-clock/faq/
Bierut, M. (2015, November 5). Designing the Doomsday Clock. The Atlantic.
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/11/doomsday-clock-michael-bierut-design/412936/
Borger, J. (2022, January 19). Is midnight upon us? doomsday clock panel to set risk of global catastrophe. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/19/is-midnight-upon-us-doomsday-clock-panel-to-set-risk-of-global-catastrophe
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. (2023, January 26). A time of unprecedented danger: It is 90 seconds to midnight. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. https://thebulletin.org/doomsday-clock/
Mecklin, J. (2023, January 24). Current time - 2023. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. https://thebulletin.org/doomsday-clock/current-time/
Newcott, B. (2022, January 21). The atomic scientists' doomsday clock is now 75-and threats to civilization still abound. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/the-doomsday-clock-is-now-75-and-its-still-ticking
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