Doomsday Clock: what is the time, 2023 announcement meaning, how it works, what happens if it hits midnight?

Scientists from the US have set the Doomsday clock at 90 seconds to midnight - meaning the Earth is closer to catastrophe than ever before.

Every year, the minute hand has been moved closer to or further away from midnight - with midnight signifying the end of the world.

The timings are based on the problems that have occurred during the year such as nuclear proliferation or increased levels of greenhouse gases.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Doomsday Clock and how the results have changed over the years.

What is the Doomsday Clock?

US scientists involved in the Manhattan Project and the first nuclear weapons founded the clock to represent the dangers to the planet.

The idea of the clock came about in 1947. Eugene Rabinowitch, the first editor of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists journal claimed that the image of a clock was used to “frighten men into rationality.”

Rachel Bronson, president and chief executive of Bulletin, believes the clock plays a vital role in raising awareness of man-made global threats.

Bronson said: “While the time we set on the Doomsday Clock is in and of itself important, the conversation that it generates is truly impressive.

“We stimulate worldwide conversation in which people ask themselves and one another whether the bulletin’s science and security board got the time right.”

The predictions take into account emerging threats and the severity of their impact. The main key factors include nuclear risk, climate change and disruptive technologies.

The furthest the clock has ever been from midnight was 17 minutes in 1991 after then-President George H. W. Bush and former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev both announced reductions in the nuclear arsenals of their respective countries.

However, in recent years the Doomsday Clock has edged closer to midnight than ever before.

What was the time on the Doomsday Clock last year?

In 2018, the scientists moved the Doomsday Clock to 2 minutes to midnight - at the time this was the closest that the Earth had been to an apocalypse since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1953.

Since then the Doomsday Clock has continued to move closer to catastrophe. In 2020 the clock was moved to 100 seconds to midnight and it has remained the same in both 2021 and 2022.

Scientists attributed this to a lack of actionable climate policies, disruptive technology, nuclear threat and the Covid 19 pandemic.

What were the results of the 2023 Doomsday Clock announcement?

The 76th Doomsday Clock announcement took place on Tuesday 24 January 2023.

The results show that the Earth is now 90 seconds away from midnight - meaning it is closer to the apocalypse than ever before.

This year’s announcement is the first since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February last year and experts explained that the war has had a detrimental impact on their predictions.

Experts said: “Russia’s thinly veiled threats to use nuclear weapons remind the world that the escalation of conflict - by accident, intention or miscalculation is a terrible risk.

“The possibility that the conflict could spin out of anyone’s control remains high.”