Doomsday Clock moves THE CLOSEST EVER to midnight!

Now the “Doomsday Clock” has been moved 20 seconds closer to midnight (global destruction).  It was at 2 minutes (the same as in 1953 — the closest it had ever been), but now it is at 100 seconds, EVEN CLOSER THAN IT HAS EVER BEEN!

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (www.thebulletin.org) have said nuclear weapons and the climate crisis have become more dangerous than ever before. Please work with groups on those two existential issues.  They issued these statements:

To: Leaders and citizens of the world
Re: Closer than ever: It is 100 seconds to midnight
Date: January 23, 2020
Humanity continues to face two simultaneous existential dangers—nuclear war and climate change—that are compounded by a threat multiplier, cyber-enabled information warfare, that undercuts society’s ability to respond. The international security situation is dire, not just because these threats exist, but because world leaders have allowed the international political infrastructure for managing them to erode. Read more:  https://thebulletin.org/doomsday-clock/current-time/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Newsletter01232020&utm_content=DoomsdayClock_2020Statement

Watch the press conference from the National Press Club in Washington, DC:  https://thebulletin.org/doomsday-clock/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Newsletter01232020&utm_content=DoomsdayClock_2020Announcement

See the Doomsday Clock timeline and past statements:  https://thebulletin.org/doomsday-clock/past-statements/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Newsletter01232020&utm_content=DoomsdayClock_2020PastStatement

 

Doomsday Clock Moves to 100 Seconds Before Midnight Due to Threats of Nuclear War and Climate Change:

See this article:  https://www.ecowatch.com/doomsday-clock-2644904424.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=5dd1c8e019-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-5dd1c8e019-85369701

 

Doomsday Clock moves closer to midnight because of nuclear weapons and climate disruption:

See this article:  https://grist.org/climate/doomsday-clock-moves-closer-to-midnight-due-in-part-to-climate-change/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=daily

 

Global Zero issued this statement:

An excellent non-profit org working to abolish nuclear weapons is Global Zero (www.globalzero.org).  They issued this statement about the Doomsday Clock’s move 20 seconds closer to midnight (the closest it has ever been):  https://www.globalzero.org/updates/media/press-releases/global-zero-reacts-as-doomsday-clock-ticks-closer-toward-disaster/?link_id=1&can_id=1d662460c0abb8939c5044c82927552b&source=email-breaking-russia-just-made-a-huge-offer-time-to-make-a-deal-2&email_referrer=email_706652&email_subject=breaking-doomsday-clock-ticks-closer-towards-disaster

 

The nationwide Quaker-based lobby provided this additional information and called for action:

The keepers of the symbolic Doomsday Clock have an unsettling message for the world: We are closer to global disaster than ever before.

This week, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists set the countdown to a mere 100 seconds from midnight, citing the erosion of nuclear arms control and an insufficient response to the climate emergency as growing existential threats to humanity.  SEE THIS:  https://www.npr.org/2020/01/23/799047659/the-end-may-be-nearer-doomsday-clock-moves-within-100-seconds-of-midnight?utm_campaign=thisweek&utm_medium=email&utm_source=ak   AND THIS:  https://thebulletin.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/2020-Doomsday-Clock-statement.pdf?utm_campaign=thisweek&utm_medium=email&utm_source=ak

This is dire news—but not entirely unexpected. The past year has brought a cascade of troubling developments, with U.S. and world leaders abandoning diplomacy and arms control treaties in favor of conflict and threats.

In August, the U.S. withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, risking a renewed arms race with Russia. SEE THIS:  https://www.fcnl.org/updates/u-s-pulls-out-of-nuclear-treaty-2241?utm_campaign=thisweek&utm_medium=email&utm_source=ak

The administration has also signaled a desire to withdraw from the Open Skies treaty, which has played a crucial role in upholding trust and transparency between member nations.  SEE THIS:  https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/08/politics/trump-open-skies-treaty-exit/index.html?utm_campaign=thisweek&utm_medium=email&utm_source=ak

Perhaps most immediately concerning, the president has continued to delay extension of the New START treaty, which limits the deployment of U.S. and Russian nuclear weapons.

And faced with increased greenhouse gas emissions and raging wildfires across the globe, the U.S. has responded by withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement and rolling back numerous environmental protections. The evidence is clear: In the face of existential, international threats, the U.S. has abandoned the global community.

The U.S. can still be a leader for good, but we need help from Congress to get us back on track. For the sake of our country and the world, members of Congress should support the extension of New START, insist on bold climate action, and advocate for diplomacy and cooperation.  SEE THIS:  https://www.fcnl.org/updates/support-extension-of-the-new-start-nuclear-treaty-with-russia-2612?utm_campaign=thisweek&utm_medium=email&utm_source=ak

The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than it’s ever been. But there’s no reason why it can’t be turned back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About GlenAnderson 1499 Articles
Since the late 1960s Glen Anderson has devoted his life to working as a volunteer for peace, nonviolence, social justice, and progressive political issues. He has worked through many existing organizations and started several. Over the years he has worked especially for such wide-ranging goals as making peace with Vietnam, eliminating nuclear weapons, converting from a military economy to a peacetime economy, abolishing the death penalty, promoting nonviolence at all levels throughout society, and helping people organize and strategize for grassroots movements to solve many kinds of problems. He writes, speaks, and conducts training workshops on a wide variety of topics. Since 1987 he has produced and hosted a one-hour cable TV interview program on many kinds of issues. Since 2017 he has blogged at https://parallaxperspectives.org He lives in Lacey near Olympia WA. You can reach him at (360) 491-9093 glen@parallaxperspectives.org