The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists announced on Thursday that the 'Doomsday Clock' that represents how close humanity is to the 'apocalypse' has moved closer to midnight.
The clock currently stands at three minutes to midnight with midnight representing the end of the world as we know it. The Chicago-based group of scientists regularly review the world's events, using data to asses global threats to humanity's continued existence on the planet.
“A rise in strident nationalism worldwide, President Donald Trump’s comments on nuclear arms and climate issues, a darkening global security landscape that is colored by increasingly sophisticated technology, and a growing disregard for scientific expertise,” a statement issued by the team of Nobel laureates said earlier this week.
Among the issues the nonprofit group uses to set the 'clock' are treaty negotiations, geopolitical tensions and technological developments. When the US and USSR leaders signed the Partial Test Ban Treaty in 1963, the clock was pushed back to twelve minutes to midnight, signifying the progress made in banning all atmospheric nuclear testing.
The furthest it's been from midnight was in 1991 after the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union. The closest the clock came to midnight was during a low point in US/Soviet relations after escalating tensions in the ongoing Soviet-Afghan War, and an intensifying arms race between the superpowers.
The scientists say the latest move is because of the rise of 'strident nationalism' worldwide, President Trump's comments about nuclear weapons and the disbelief in the scientific consensus over Climate Change by the Trump Administration.