On Jan 23, atomic scientists set the 'Doomsday Clock' at 90 seconds to midnight. This reset has been done for the second consecutive year.
It symbolises how close humans are to extinction. The closer the clock is to midnight, the closer the world would be to a potential disaster.
The hands of the clock are moved closer to or farther away from midnight based on the scientists’ reading of existential threats at a particular time.
The clock was reset based on existential risks to Earth citing wars in Ukraine & Gaza, among other issues.
Deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus and withdrawal from Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty increase risk.
The world in 2023 entered into uncharted territory as it suffered its hottest year on record, and global greenhouse gas emissions continued to rise.