Doomsday Clock Hits 89 Seconds: Nuclear, Climate Risks Surge, Humanity’s Closest Brush with Catastrophe

The Doomsday Clock ticks closer to catastrophe, standing at 89 seconds to midnight in 2025—humanity’s nearest brush with apocalypse. Set by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, this chilling symbol warns of escalating nuclear threats, climate collapse, and unregulated AI, fueled by global inaction. From Russia’s war in Ukraine to record-breaking heatwaves and AI-driven cyberattacks, interconnected crises push us to the brink. Can humanity act in time to rewind the Clock? Dive into the urgent call for disarmament, climate action, and global cooperation before midnight strikes.By

By Newswriters Research Desk

 As of October 23, 2025, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Doomsday Clock remains set at 89 seconds to midnight—the closest it has ever been to the symbolic apocalypse since its creation in 1947. This position, adjusted on January 28, 2025, from the previous 90 seconds, underscores an unrelenting sense of urgency amid escalating global risks. While the Clock isn’t adjusted mid-year unless extraordinary events demand it, the lack of reversal in the intervening months highlights ongoing failures to mitigate existential threats. Below, I’ll break down the current status, the rationale behind the 2025 setting, and what it means for humanity’s trajectory.

 This metaphorical timepiece, born from the minds of Manhattan Project scientists like Albert Einstein and J. Robert Oppenheimer, represents humanity’s proximity to self-inflicted apocalypse, with midnight marking the point of no return. Initially focused on nuclear war, the Clock now encompasses broader existential threats: climate change, disruptive technologies, and biological risks. Its current setting, advanced by one second from 90 seconds in 2023, signals an unprecedented level of danger, driven by a “polycrisis” of interconnected global challenges. This article explores the Clock’s history, the reasons behind its alarming 2025 setting, the parameters shaping its assessment, and why it remains a vital call to action.

The Doomsday Clock: A Brief History

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, founded in 1945 by scientists concerned about nuclear proliferation, introduced the Doomsday Clock on its magazine cover in 1947, set at seven minutes to midnight. This reflected fears of a U.S.-Soviet nuclear arms race in the early Cold War. Over its 77-year history, the Clock has been adjusted 26 times—18 times closer to midnight during periods of heightened risk, and 8 times backward when diplomatic progress, like arms control treaties, reduced threats. Its farthest point from doom was 17 minutes in 1991, after the Cold War ended and the U.S. and Soviet Union signed nuclear reduction agreements. The closest prior to recent years was two minutes in 1953, following U.S. and Soviet hydrogen bomb tests.

The Clock’s movements are determined by the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board (SASB), a panel of experts including Nobel laureates, in consultation with the Board of Sponsors. Adjustments reflect scientific assessments of global risks, evolving from nuclear threats to include climate change, AI, and biotechnology. The Clock is not a literal prediction but a stark warning, designed to spur public awareness and policy action.

The 2023 Setting: 90 Seconds to Midnight

In January 2023, the Clock was set to 90 seconds to midnight, surpassing the previous record of 100 seconds in 2020 and 2021. This adjustment reflected a world on the brink, driven by multiple converging threats:

• Nuclear Risks: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, coupled with veiled nuclear threats from President Vladimir Putin, heightened fears of escalation. The erosion of arms control treaties, such as the New START agreement, and advancements in hypersonic missiles further destabilized global security.
• Climate Crisis: Record-breaking heatwaves, wildfires, and floods in 2022 underscored the accelerating climate emergency. Global emissions continued to rise, with insufficient progress toward Paris Agreement goals, exacerbating resource scarcity and geopolitical tensions.
• Disruptive Technologies: The rapid, unregulated rise of artificial intelligence (AI) posed risks of misinformation (e.g., deepfakes fueling unrest), cyberattacks, and autonomous weapons. The Bulletin noted AI’s potential to amplify existing threats, such as nuclear miscalculation.
• Global Fragility: The COVID-19 pandemic exposed weaknesses in global health systems and international cooperation, while U.S.-China tensions and rising populism undermined collective action.

The 90-second setting was described as a “loud warning siren,” emphasizing that humanity’s margin for error was razor-thin. The Bulletin highlighted the concept of a polycrisis, where interconnected threats amplify one another, creating a cascading risk of catastrophe.

The 2025 Update: 89 Seconds to Midnight

In January 2025, the SASB advanced the Clock by one second to 89 seconds to midnight—the closest it has ever been—during their annual announcement in Washington, D.C. This minute adjustment was a deliberate signal of “unprecedented risk,” driven by worsening global trends:

• Escalating Nuclear Threats: Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, coupled with explicit nuclear rhetoric, raised fears of miscalculation. Advancements in AI-integrated nuclear systems and hypersonic missiles have shortened decision-making windows, increasing the risk of unintended escalation. China’s expanding nuclear arsenal and North Korea’s missile tests added further strain.
• Climate Catastrophe: 2024 was the hottest year on record, with global temperatures exceeding 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, per the World Meteorological Organization. Extreme weather events caused $280 billion in damages (Swiss Re, 2024), and biodiversity loss accelerated, threatening food and water security. Failure to meet Paris Agreement targets and inadequate funding for climate adaptation in vulnerable regions fueled instability.
• Technological Perils: AI’s dual-use nature—enabling breakthroughs like drug discovery while risking cyberattacks and autonomous weapons—remains largely unregulated. Global cybercrime losses are projected to reach $10.5 trillion by 2025 (Cybersecurity Ventures), and deepfakes have undermined trust in democratic processes. Biotechnology advances, including genetic engineering, pose biosecurity risks without robust governance.
• Global Governance Failures: Weakening international institutions, such as the United Nations and NATO, and declining trust in governments (only 30% globally, per Edelman Trust Barometer) have hindered collective action. Stalled arms control talks, fragmented climate negotiations, and rising nationalism exacerbate the polycrisis
• Daniel Holz, chair of the SASB, noted that while some progress—such as U.S.-China climate talks—offered glimmers of hope, the overall trajectory was “worrisome.” The Bulletin’s 2025 statement, a detailed PDF analysis, called for urgent action: renewed arms control, aggressive emissions reductions, AI ethics frameworks, and strengthened global health systems.

Parameters Shaping the Clock

The Doomsday Clock’s position is determined by a comprehensive assessment of existential threats, evaluated through scientific data, policy analysis, and expert consultations. The key parameters in 2025 include:

1. Nuclear Risk: Proliferation, modernization of arsenals (e.g., AI-integrated systems), and geopolitical flashpoints like Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific. The collapse of arms control treaties reduces transparency and increases the risk of miscalculation.
2. Climate Change: Rising temperatures, extreme weather, and biodiversity loss, coupled with policy failures to curb emissions or fund adaptation. Resource conflicts over water and arable land fuel instability.
3. Disruptive Technologies: AI’s risks in cyberattacks, misinformation, and autonomous weapons, alongside biotechnology’s potential for misuse. Cyber vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure, like power grids, are growing.
4. Global Governance: Weakened institutions, rising populism, and diplomatic stagnation hinder collective solutions. Trust in global leadership is at historic lows.
5. Biological Risks: Gaps in pandemic preparedness and emerging threats from engineered pathogens, amplified by biotechnological advances.

These parameters are interconnected, forming a polycrisis where one threat exacerbates others. For example, climate-induced migration can fuel conflicts, which may escalate nuclear risks, while AI-driven misinformation undermines diplomatic solutions. The SASB’s qualitative synthesis of these risks, informed by 11 Nobel laureates on the Board of Sponsors, translates complex data into a single, urgent metric.

Why the Clock Matters

The Doomsday Clock is not a doomsayer’s prophecy but a call to action. Its symbolic power has shaped global discourse, from Cold War treaties like SALT to modern climate summits like COP. At 89 seconds to midnight, it underscores that existential threats—nuclear war, climate collapse, technological disruption—are human-made and thus solvable. However, the window for action is critically narrow. The Bulletin urges collective will: verifiable disarmament, equitable technology governance, aggressive climate policies, and resilient international institutions.

In an era of flashpoints—Ukraine, the Middle East, Indo-Pacific tensions, and economic strains—the Clock reminds us that humanity’s survival hinges on choices made now. Reversing its hands requires bold, coordinated action: renewing arms control, meeting climate targets, regulating AI, and rebuilding trust in global cooperation. As the Bulletin warns, “We are in the final seconds.” The question is whether humanity will heed the ticking and act before midnight strikes.