The indicators of the Apocalypse clock, which symbolizes the impending planetary catastrophe, remained on Wednesday (27/01) 100 seconds before midnight, due to the inefficiency of governments to manage the coronavirus pandemic, which is also a sign of preparedness in the face of nuclear and climate threats, according to scientists.
The deadly and terrifying pandemic of Covid-19 serves as a historic “warning shot”, a shocking example that national governments and international organizations are not sufficiently prepared to deal with the threats of nuclear weapons and climate change that could “Reetle Bronson, the general director of the non-governmental organization Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which is responsible for this symbolic clock, which was created in 1947,” said in a press release.
Each year, a team of NGO experts, including 13 Nobel laureates, sets the new time.
Last year, the hands were moving 20 seconds, reaching as close to midnight as ever in the history of the clock.
“Wake up,” Jerry Brown, the former governor of California and chairman of the board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, told the leaders of the great powers.
“The United States, Russia and the world nuclear powers must stop pitting themselves against each other. It is time to eliminate nuclear weapons, not to build more. The same goes for climate change: the US, China and other major countries must seriously attack lethal carbon emissions. “Now,” he stressed.
Among the recommendations to the heads of state and government, the panel of experts urges the presidents of the United States and Russia to extend the terms of the New Start agreement to reduce the two countries' nuclear weapons as long as possible. The Russian parliament today ratified the extension of the agreement until 2026.
Experts also urge the United States to pledge not to use a nuclear weapon in any conflict and to persuade its allies and opponents to do the same, which would be a “real step towards security and stability,” they said. .
The Apocalypse Clock, created after World War II, initially showed seven minutes before midnight. In 1991, with the end of the Cold War, it showed up to 17 minutes before 12. In 1953, as in 2018 and 2019, it showed two minutes before midnight.
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