The hands of the Doomsday Clock have moved closer to midnight than ever before, signalling what scientists describe as an unprecedented level of global risk.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced on Tuesday that the symbolic clock now stands at 85 seconds to midnight, four seconds closer than last year, citing escalating dangers linked to nuclear weapons, climate change and the spread of disinformation.
⚠️ The "Doomsday Clock" representing how near humanity is to catastrophe has moved closer than ever to midnight as concerns grow on nuclear weapons, climate change and disinformation.
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) January 27, 2026
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The announcement comes one year after the start of the second term of US President Donald Trump, a period which, according to the scientists, has been marked by growing instability in the international order, unilateral actions and US withdrawals from international institutions.
Why the clock was moved
In a press release, the Bulletin warned that Russia, China, the United States and other major powers have become “increasingly aggressive, hostile and nationalist”. The decision to adjust the clock followed consultations with an expert panel that includes eight Nobel Prize laureates.
Scientists cautioned that hard-won international agreements are collapsing, accelerating a “winner-takes-all” global competition and undermining the cooperation needed to reduce the risks of nuclear war, climate breakdown, the misuse of biotechnology and emerging threats posed by artificial intelligence.
Nuclear arms race fears
Particular concern was expressed over the prospect of a renewed nuclear arms race. The New START treaty on the reduction of strategic nuclear weapons between the US and Russia is set to expire next week, while Trump has been pushing for the development of an extremely costly missile defence system known as the “Golden Dome”.
Climate and disinformation risks
The panel also highlighted record levels of carbon dioxide emissions, a key driver of global warming, noting that US climate policy has been radically reversed.
“We are living through an information Armageddon, the crisis beneath all other crises,” said Maria Ressa, who warned that aggressive technologies are spreading lies faster than facts while exploiting societal divisions.
A clock born of nuclear fear
The Doomsday Clock was created in 1947, in the aftermath of rising nuclear tensions during the early Cold War, when it was initially set at seven minutes to midnight. Over time, its criteria have expanded to include pandemics, climate change and organised disinformation campaigns.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists was founded in 1945 by Albert Einstein and scientists involved in the development of the first atomic bomb. Each year, the group reassesses global threats and resets the clock accordingly.