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The world is closer to destruction than ever before, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the group behind the “Doomsday Clock,” argued. It added that the infamous clock is set at 85 seconds to midnight.
The group cited risks of nuclear war, climate change, the misuse of biotechnology and the potential threat of artificial intelligence as reasons behind the clock’s movement toward the end.
“A year ago, we warned that the world was perilously close to global disaster and that any delay in reversing course increased the probability of catastrophe. Rather than heed this warning, Russia, China, the United States, and other major countries have instead become increasingly aggressive, adversarial, and nationalistic,” the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists said in its 2026 Doomsday Clock statement.
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The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists members, from left, Jon B. Wolfsthal, Asha M. George and Steve Fetter reveal the Doomsday Clock, set to 85 seconds to midnight, during a news conference at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, in Washington. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Photo)
The group lamented that “hard-won global understandings are collapsing” as “winner-takes-all great power competition” accelerates. Additionally, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists called out world leaders for becoming “complacent and indifferent,” while adding that others have adopted rhetoric that increases the risk of reaching midnight.
The Doomsday Clock, which was created in 1947, represents how close humanity is to global catastrophe, with midnight symbolizing the apocalypse. When the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists made its 2025 statement, the clock was at 89 seconds to midnight. The clock’s hands were set farthest from midnight in 1991 after the end of the Cold War, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. At that time, the clock was said to be at 17 minutes to midnight.
President Donald Trump speaks as he presents the “Board of Peace” onstage at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Jan. 22, 2026, in Davos, Switzerland. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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“The Doomsday Clock’s message cannot be clearer. Catastrophic risks are on the rise, cooperation is on the decline, and we are running out of time. Change is both necessary and possible, but the global community must demand swift action from their leaders,” Alexandra Bell, president and CEO, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, said in a press release announcing the 2026 measurement.
Despite the group’s gloomy prediction, it admitted that 2025 kicked off with “a glimmer of hope” for the risk of nuclear war as then-incoming President Donald Trump “made efforts to halt the Russia-Ukraine war and even suggested that major powers pursue ‘denuclearization.'” However, it said that as the year went on “negative trends” grew.
“The dangerous trends in nuclear risk, climate change, disruptive technologies like AI, and biosecurity are accompanied by another frightening development: the rise of nationalistic autocracies in countries around the world,” Daniel Holz, chair of the group’s science and security board, said. “Our greatest challenges require international trust and cooperation, and a world splintering into ‘us versus them’ will leave all of humanity more vulnerable.”
Ukrainian servicemen of the 44th artillery brigade fire a 2s22 Bohdana self-propelled howitzer towards Russian positions at the frontline in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. (Danylo Antoniuk/AP Photo)
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The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists not only outlined the risks to humanity, but also concrete steps to move the clock’s hands away from midnight, including renewed U.S.-Russia nuclear talks, efforts to prevent AI-driven biological threats, a shift toward expanded U.S. renewable energy development and multilateral discussions among the U.S., Russia and China on limits for military use of artificial intelligence.
“Our current trajectory is unsustainable. National leaders — particularly those in the United States, Russia, and China — must take the lead in finding a path away from the brink. Citizens must insist they do so,” the group said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.