WJEZ file image–not an official representation of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists Doomsday Clock

By Todd Wineburner

The Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists says the probability of global catastrophe is very high. That dire prediction comes from the organization famous for keeping what they call the “Doomsday Clock.” The clock is a symbolic representation of the potential for human self-destruction, and the planet’s level of security or danger is represented as a number of minutes before midnight. Should midnight arrive, that’s the end of humanity as we know it. On Thursday, the group said unchecked climate change and global nuclear weapons modernization had prompted them to change the clock for the first time in 3 years, moving it ahead two minutes. It now stands at three minutes before midnight. You can read the complete report from the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists at their website thebulletin.org.