2024-02-18 03:53:13
The calculation is made as a result of various factors that bring us closer to the destruction of the planet such as climate change, for example.
The Apocalypse Clock, known in English as the Doomsday Clock, It is a symbolic clock that was created in 1947 by the board of directors of Bulletin of Atomic Scientistsamong which were Albert Einstein y Robert Oppenheimerand several others.
Originally, it represented How close was humanity to total destruction? due to the threat of nuclear war.
In this way, with the increase in danger factors for and towards humanity, a few years ago, they began to include the climate change and the development of sciencetwo factors that can inflict some irreparable damage to the planet.
During the night of January 24 The time of the Apocalypse Clock or end of the world was announced, like every year.
Again, just like in 2023, It stood at 90 seconds before midnightexactly in the 23:58:30 hourskeeping humanity on record closer to a global catastrophe.
After delivering the conclusions through the official website of the board of directors of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, its president and executive director, Rachel Bronsonsaid that “trends continue to point ominously towards a global catastrophe“.
“Biological research aimed at preventing future pandemics has proven to be useful, but also presents the risks of causing a“He added, referring to Artificial Intelligence (AI), since it could improve civilization or simply threaten her in countless ways through the power they are providing you.
What are the events that are bringing us closer to total destruction?
Last year, scientists They decided to lower the seconds remaining until the apocalypse from 100 to 90the closest the clock had ever been to marking its final time, and this year they chose to keep the same time.
The actual situation It is worse than 1953, they explain in the statement. This happened when the clock struck two minutes to midnight during one of the most tense stages of the Cold War, when both the Soviets and the Americans conducted their first tests with thermonuclear weapons.
The danger of nuclear weapons, the first risk of the Apocalypse Clock
The main concern of scientists is the threat of use of nuclear weapons in the Ukrainian wargiven that Russia did not rule out its use.
Likewise, there are also the efforts of powers such as China, Russia and the United States to modernize their weapons and nuclear arsenalsspending large sums of money.
This is why they “increase the risk of a nuclear war breaking out.” due to a calculation error“, it was mentioned in the bulletin.
Climate change
During 2023, the earth experienced the hottest year ever recordeda period in which enormous floods, forest fires and other disasters also occurred in different countries as a result of the climate crisis.
Since 2007 that the Doomsday Clock has included the deterioration of the planet in its assessments due to global warming.
Day IA
The focus was also placed on the expansion that AI had in the last year, a tool that has a great military and disinformation potential.
“Fortunately, many countries are recognizing the importance of regulating Artificial Intelligence and are beginning to take steps to reduce the potential for damage“, they assured.