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Doomsday Clock Moves Up 30 Seconds, Now 2 Minutes to Midnight
NBC New York
Wed January 24, 2018
The Doomsday Clock now holds at two minutes to midnight, with the world facing the closest risk of global catastrophe since 1953.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced Thursday it had moved the hands of the symbolic, apocalyptic clock up 30 seconds for 2018, citing an "obvious and imminent danger."
"The opportunity to reduce the danger is equally clear," the group said. "The world has seen the threat posed by the misuse of information technology and witnessed the vulnerability of democracies to disinformation. But there is a flip side to the abuse of social media."
People should demand action to reduce the threat of nuclear war and climate change, the group said.
The Doomsday Clock was created 70 years ago. Last year was the first time the scientists behind it had moved it 30 seconds, citing President Donald Trump's "intemperate statements, lack of openness to expert advice, and questionable cabinet nominations," in part for the move.
The clock was last set to two minutes before midnight in 1953, when the United States was cited for pursuing the hydrogen bomb.
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