Doomsday Clock now just 85 seconds from apocalypse but many notice 'issue'

The Doomsday Clock, which is revised annually to indicate how close humanity is to catastrophic disaster, has moved forward by four seconds to just 85 seconds before midnight – the closest it has ever been.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the body that oversees the Doomsday Clock, created it in 1947 to evaluate the risk of extinction from multiple threats.

When the clock strikes midnight, it signals that humanity has failed to prevent complete annihilation.

The latest Doomsday Clock update was revealed at 3pm on Tuesday (January 27) from Washington DC, US. Alexandra Bell, the bulletin's chief executive, declared that humanity has fallen short in its attempts to maintain a habitable planet.

"Every second counts and we are running out of time," she said. "It's a hard truth, but this is our reality.

"Overall, 2025 has been a pretty bleak picture in terms of advancing existential risks."

Board member John Wolfsthal noted that whilst deciding how far to move the clock usually proves challenging, they encountered 'no such challenges this year'.

The clock has been creeping closer to midnight in recent years, advancing from 90 seconds to midnight in 2023 to 89 seconds to midnight the subsequent year.

This represents a dramatic shift from 1991 – when it was at its furthest distance from midnight at 17 minutes – after the US and Soviet Union agreed to reduce their nuclear stockpiles. While some are understandably concerned by this development, critics have labelled the clock as a "fear tactic" aimed at the public.

On the Reddit r/climate forum, one user expressed their disdain, saying: "I really hate the doomsday clock. It feels like just a fear tactic for the public. We all know things are sh***y and we all know the powers that be are screwing it all for the rest of us. There's no need to instil more fear on top of that."

Another contributor dismissed it, adding: "It's total bulls**t, it's not based on anything measurable and the start at 7min before midnight was just a random guess. Extremely stupid and unhelpful."

A third user pointed out: "It was 420 seconds to midnight during the Cuban Missile Crisis - near universally recognised as less than 24 hours away from blowing the whole world up. So for it to be 89 seconds today - it's losing its meaning. Perhaps we need multiple clocks to measure multiple threats to society today so we can focus and not just suffer fear-paralysis."

The scepticism extended to TikTok, with one commenter stating: "They just want you to be afraid at all times."

Another questioned: "Who actually believes this?" A third joked: "Can't trust that clock. 3/4 of it is missing. Must of got it from Temu."

However, others defended the clock, with one person noting: "Everyone in the comments doesn't understand that these are scientists. They look at nearly every aspect of the world and civilisation we live in and analyse changes."

Another person commented: "People not listening and just cracking jokes reminds me so much of the movie Don't Look Up. They never listen until it's too late."