It is 6 Minutes to Midnight

[quadong]

"Citing a more "hopeful state of world affairs" in relation to the twin threats posed by nuclear weapons and climate change, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS) is moving the minute hand of its famous Doomsday Clock one minute away from midnight. It is now 6 minutes to midnight. The decision by the BAS Science and Security Board was made in

Comments

[thorintatge]

Their rationale for adjusting it seems quite reasonable. I was surprised to learn (from the Turn Back the Clock website) that none (or almost none) of the previous clock adjustments have been by a single minute. Maybe they're getting more expert at this now. ;)

[quadong]

Yes, the only other 1 minute movements have been in the other direction, once in 1953 to 2 minutes (after the US and Russia both tested H-bombs) and once in 1984 to 3 minutes (after arms control talks fail and the US begins Star Wars). Each time the message was something to the effect of "things are already very bad, there's not much room to move before they are terminal". This message is more like "things aren't great, but they seem slightly less bad than before", which isn't something they've tried to say in the past.

[skylarker]

Well, that's nice. Now I can relax. :)