Still Three Minutes to Midnight
These final days of January bring us the annual update of the so-called Doomsday Clock, managed by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. In essence, the clock reminds us of the terrible potential humanity carries to end its own existence. Despite multiple warnings accompanied by several events of enormous magnitude, things have not improved much, and we remain at three minutes to midnight.
Anyone questioning the validity of the Doomsday Clock should ask themselves: How many times have we been close to a nuclear apocalypse? The correct answer is 'too many'. If we move that question to the context of climate change, what should we answer? Every flood, every tsunami, every extreme snowstorm, and every out-of-season heatwave certainly make us think of a similar outcome. While our intrepid leaders play at being environmentalists to sign temporary, symbolic, and non-binding agreements... people suffer. For example: the winter superstorm affecting the United States has already claimed 42 lives, with damages estimated at around three billion dollars. In the face of these facts, the clock can do nothing other than remain still.
A Multitude of Threats
Of course, to the climate change situation we must add aspects such as renewed tensions between the United States and Russia, North Korea's nuclear tests (regardless of their success), the constant advance of terrorist groups (who would love to get their hands on a warhead), and the disturbing increases in defense budgets, among other things. Logically, the Bulletin's representatives recommend going in the opposite direction: reduce spending on nuclear weapons, revive disarmament talks, expand what was achieved at the climate level in Paris, resolve as soon as possible the problem of commercial nuclear waste, and increase efforts so that North Korea stops its nuclear weapons program.
The Last Time It Was Three Minutes
Until then... three minutes. The last time that number was touched was in 1984. The Cold War between the powers, the war in Afghanistan (which was anything but cold), the deployment of new missiles in Western Europe, the Russian boycott of the Los Angeles Olympics... a difficult year. Despite many interpretations, the goal of the Doomsday Clock is not to predict the future. It is a summary of the present, and of everything we still need to improve.
