85 Seconds to Midnight

Illustrated by Erin Crombie. The illustrated graph represents the timeline of the “Doomsday Clock” and our world’s proximity to midnight over the past several decades.

On the 27th of January, 2026, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists set the “Doomsday Clock” to 85 seconds–the closest it has ever been to midnight.

But what does this mean? And why should we care?

The “Doomsday Clock,” first established in 1947, is a metaphorical measure that indicates how close humanity is to facing a global, irreversible man-made disaster. This measure serves as a warning of the catastrophe that may occur at the hands of our own technologies. Primary concerns are nuclear weapons and climate change; however, due to the prominence of AI (Artificial Intelligence), the Bulletin now considers it a major contributing factor to the latest setting of the “Doomsday Clock”.

The clock was initially set at 7 minutes in 1947; just last year, it was set at 89 seconds–we have moved 4 seconds closer to midnight in just one year. Each second is to be recognised as an indication of extreme danger that we must take seriously. The “Doomsday Clock” was not created to incite fear, but as an incentive to take action.

While the clock warns us that we are nearing danger, there is still time left – time we can use to fix our actions. Over the course of the past eighty years, we have seen fluctuations in this time; whilst there has been a steady decrease in the past two decades, there is still a chance to reverse the trend through urgent and concerted action.

So, what can we do to help?

The most beneficial and key actions to turn back the clock lie in the hands of governments – upholding treaties such as the Nuclear Test-Ban, START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), and most importantly, putting a stop to provocative rhetoric.

Climate action is critical in moving forward; governments should act on the financing and policy to reduce practices detrimental to the environment and stop further neglect of climate goals. Climate change was formally incorporated as a major factor in the “Doomsday Clock” in 2007, recognising it as a severe, man-made threat to humanity, relating it to the dangers of nuclear war.

We can also do our part in adopting sustainable practices into our daily lives, which can actively reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower energy consumption, and conserve natural resources. Together, these efforts can help slow global warming and reduce the potential of extreme weather events.

5 simple sustainable practices you can integrate into your daily life: