Doomsday Clock: 90 seconds until Global Catastrophe
According to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists' "Doomsday Clock" there is only 90 seconds until midnight. This is the lowest ever time the clock has reached and signals the closest that humanity is towards a global catastrophe, be it natural or technological. Considering a 24 hour day, the 90 seconds represents just 0.104%.
Started in 1947, the Doomsday Clock started at 7 minutes and reached a peak of 17 minutes in 1991 before reaching its lowest in 2023, which remains to this day. If we assume the average rate of decline from 7 minutes in 1947 to 90 seconds in 2024, we get 330 seconds / 77 years = 4.28 seconds per year. At this rate, it would take another 21 years to reach midnight, which won't be until 2045! Buckle up folks!
References:
- Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: https://thebulletin.org/doomsday-clock/current-time/
- Doomsday Clock wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doomsday_Clock