Doomsday Clock Set at 5 Minutes to Midnight, Scientists Demand Cut in Nuclear Weapons

The hands of the infamous Doomsday clock, which signify humans' proximity to catastrophic destruction, read 'five minutes to midnight', according to the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.

The symbolic clock face representing the countdown to technology and climate related global destruction, the Doomsday clock, has been in operation since 1947. The closer the minute hand of the clock is set to midnight, scientists claim the nearer the world is to approaching disaster. Ever since its inception, the closest approach to midnight was seen in 1953 at 11.58 pm. This was due to the testing of  thermonuclear devices. This year, the Science and Security Board has approached the United Nations Security Council to take note of the impending nuclear disasters just waiting to happen.

The scientists set the clock to five minutes to midnight (11.55 p.m.) last year and it is frozen in this time zone, clearly indicating their fear of approaching nuclear catastrophe. The board is demanding that leaders of countries like the United States and Russia revive negotiations to cut their nuclear arsenals, reduce the alert level for nuclear weapons and also cancel the missile defense programs, according to a Sage Publication press release.

The board is also calling upon the world leaders to undertake serious and quick action to battle climate change as it believes 'the risk of civilization-threatening technological catastrophe is soaring.'

The board acknowledged the positive developments in the year 2013 including in the Iranian nuclear program as well as in the renewable energy sector. But it also announced that these positive changes were introduced within a 'business-as-usual' context that slowed down the efforts to minimize the nuclear arsenals and combat the emission of greenhouse gases. Further, a set of emerging technologies that includes cyber weapons and killer robots, continues to jeopardize humanity.

"As always, new technologies hold the promise of doing great good, supplying new sources of clean energy, curing disease, and otherwise enhancing our lives. From experience, however, we also know that new technologies can be used to diminish humanity and destroy societies," the Board wrote. "We can manage our technology, or become victims of it. The choice is ours, and the Clock is ticking."

Since the year 2012, the clock has been set at five minutes to midnight. This highlights the failure of the world leaders in taking stringent action against the dangers linked to nuclear weapons and climate change. They say that both the United States and Russia should take strong measures to make necessary changes. They suggest that world leaders should also take strong steps in fighting certain political trends that have slowed down efforts with regard to climate change.

"The science on climate change is clear, and many people around the world already are suffering from destructive storms, water and food insecurity, and extreme temperatures," the board wrote. "It is no longer possible to prevent all climate change, but you can limit further suffering-if you act now."