For the first time in the 70-year history of the Doomsday Clock, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Science and Security Board has moved the hands of the iconic clock 30 seconds closer to midnight. The clock now sits at two and a half minutes to midnight. The board cited disturbing comments about the use and proliferation of nuclear weapons made by President Donald Trump, as well as disbelief in the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change expressed by Trump and several of his cabinet appointees as the reason for the move. In its statement, the board encouraged public officials to take action immediately to avert global catastrophe. The MacArthur-supported Bulletin uses the Doomsday Clock as a metaphor for how close humanity is to destroying the planet.
