Two and a Half Minutes to 'Doomsday'

Humanity is only two and a half minutes away from midnight, the time when the world ends. This sentence is not the beginning of a poem, but rather a prediction of the 'Doomsday Clock.' The Doomsday Clock is a symbolic clock that has been updated since 1947 by the 'Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.' This bulletin is a scientific, yet non-technical publication that examines issues related to the security of the Earth against the dangers of atomic bombs and other weapons of mass destruction, climate change, new technologies, and human diseases. According to the Independent, Lawrence Krauss and David Titley, who manage the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, announced that the reason for moving the clock forward by half a minute is their belief that humanity has failed to confront two main dangers: nuclear weapons and global warming. According to these researchers, the development of nuclear weapons by North Korea, India, Pakistan, Russia, and China, the uncertainty surrounding Iran's nuclear program, and the unclear state of US-Russia relations were other factors that contributed to moving the clock forward. According to the New York Times, the scientists of this bulletin believe that all these issues worsened with the statements of Donald Trump, the President of the United States: 'All of these are issues that worsen with Trump's remarks. Either due to his mistaken belief that the dangers of nuclear weapons or global warming can be ignored, or he thinks that the words of the President of the United States are not important to the rest of the world.' The authors of the 'Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists' say that many members of his cabinet are still waiting for confirmation votes and he has little time to take formal action. Previously, Stephen Hawking, regarded as the greatest living scientist, had said about nuclear dangers and the advancement of the Doomsday Clock: 'Since the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, no nuclear weapon has been used. However, the world has come closer to disaster more than once, and we have been lucky to still be alive.' He added: 'Along with standing on the brink of a new nuclear age and an unprecedented era of climate change, scientists have a special responsibility to once again raise public awareness about these dangers and warn leaders about the threats humanity faces.'