How to read the Doomsday Clock

By SJ Beard 19th January 2022

The Doomsday Clock depicts how close humanity is to armageddon – but where did it come from, how do you read its time, and what can we learn from it? Existential risk researcher SJ Beard explains.

The time since 2020 – 100 seconds to midnight – has reflected the sheer instability of the global situation, and the failure of international institutions to respond to the ticking clock of existential risk. This included the collapse of the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty that had marked the beginning of the end of the Cold War. 

So, what might we see in 2022’s update of the Doomsday Clock? If the ongoing pandemic is mentioned, it will be to highlight the shortcomings of governance it exposed. The uneven response to Covid-19 and failure of global leadership in working towards universal vaccination and eradication does not augur well for the prevention of existential threats.

Read more HERE.