Doomsday clock inches forward to three minutes from catastrophic midnight

Doomsday clock inches forward to three minutes from catastrophic midnight

The end of civilisation is nigh, according to ‘doomsayers’. Picture: Thinkstock. Source: News Limited

DOOMSAYERS, prepare your bunkers. The ‘Doomsday Clock’ is ticking.

The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, a group founded by the creators of the atomic bomb, say the world is now three minutes from a catastrophic midnight and the closest it has been in 30 years.

The clock moved forward two minutes, citing global warming and the proliferation of nuclear weaponry as the world’s greatest threats.

Atomic testing in the 1950s saw the Doomsday Clock move closer to midnight than it has ever been. Picture shows testing in the Australian outback. Source: News Corp Australia

“This is about Doomsday; this is about the end of civilisation as we know it,” Bulletin executive director Kennette Benedict said.

“The probability of global catastrophe is very high, and the actions needed to reduce the risks of disaster must be taken very soon.”

The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists was created in 1945 and the clock first appeared two years later on the Bulletin’s magazine cover. The minute hand has moved as far from midnight as 17 minutes (1991) but was once just two minutes away (1953).

Climate scientist Richard Somerville said a ‘major climatic disruption’ could be imminent. Picture: Cliff Owen / AP Source: AP

The last time the clock was at three minutes to midnight was in 1983 during the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union.

Richard Somerville, a member of the 20-member board of scientists at the Bulletin, said the burning of fossil fuels will lead to a “major climatic disruption globally”.

‘The urgency has nothing to do with politics or ideology,” Dr Somerville said.

“It arises from the laws of physics and biology and chemistry”.