Space
Doomsday Clock Signifies Humanity’s Imminent Demise; The Apocalypse is Nigh
Catherine Griffin
First Posted: Jan 15, 2013 04:31 PM EST
From climate change to solar flares, humanity may be in for a wild ride in 2013. In order to signify humanity's imminent demise, a group of scientists have updated the infamous "Doomsday Clock." The construction, which first came into being in 1947, updates its time every year. The closer to midnight the time is, the closer we are to our doom.
Apparently humanity is now very, very close. This year, scientists have placed the time at five minutes to midnight. Costly recovery from events such as the Fukushima nuclear meltdown and extreme weather patterns resulting from climate change have prompted their latest grim prediction.
It's hard to blame them. The year 2012 was the warmest on record; the Arctic ice sheet showed the most melting since records first began. In addition, drought scoured the US and left farmers with little to show for their efforts. Human-caused disasters, according to the scientists, are on the rise.
The year 2013 does not look much brighter. NASA has warned the public that the sun is at the peak of its 11-year cycle, leading to solar flares which could affect the "space storms" around our planet and cause radio blackouts. In addition, climate change and pollution will no doubt continue to be issues. Already, Beijing has had its worst recorded incident of smog.
However, the Doomsday Clock does not always move forward. In 2010, scientists moved back the hand of the clock after Obama's election to signify a leadership that would help slow climate change and set a path toward a world without nuclear weapons.
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First Posted: Jan 15, 2013 04:31 PM EST
From climate change to solar flares, humanity may be in for a wild ride in 2013. In order to signify humanity's imminent demise, a group of scientists have updated the infamous "Doomsday Clock." The construction, which first came into being in 1947, updates its time every year. The closer to midnight the time is, the closer we are to our doom.
Apparently humanity is now very, very close. This year, scientists have placed the time at five minutes to midnight. Costly recovery from events such as the Fukushima nuclear meltdown and extreme weather patterns resulting from climate change have prompted their latest grim prediction.
It's hard to blame them. The year 2012 was the warmest on record; the Arctic ice sheet showed the most melting since records first began. In addition, drought scoured the US and left farmers with little to show for their efforts. Human-caused disasters, according to the scientists, are on the rise.
The year 2013 does not look much brighter. NASA has warned the public that the sun is at the peak of its 11-year cycle, leading to solar flares which could affect the "space storms" around our planet and cause radio blackouts. In addition, climate change and pollution will no doubt continue to be issues. Already, Beijing has had its worst recorded incident of smog.
However, the Doomsday Clock does not always move forward. In 2010, scientists moved back the hand of the clock after Obama's election to signify a leadership that would help slow climate change and set a path toward a world without nuclear weapons.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone