Jan 23, 2015
Frustrated with a lack of international action to address climate change and shrink nuclear arsenals, they decided today (Jan. 22) to push the minute hand of their iconic "Doomsday Clock" to 11:57 p.m. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists doesn't use the clock to make any real doomsday predictions. Each year, the magazine's board analyzes threats to humanity's survival to decide where the Doomsday Clock's hands should be set. For instance, if nothing is done to reduce the amount of heat-trapping gasses, such as carbon dioxide, in the atmosphere, Earth could be 5 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit (3 to 8 degrees Celsius) warmer by the end of century, said Sivan Kartha, a senior scientist at the Stockholm Environment Institute.