Doomsday Clock Closer to Midnight
Jan 10, 2012 17:19:44 GMT -5
Post by PrisonerOfHope on Jan 10, 2012 17:19:44 GMT -5
Actually, it's closer than they can imagine....and not for the stupid reasons they cite.
As Iran ramps up its nuclear program, a look at every movement of the Doomsday Clock
Agence France-Presse Jan 10, 2012 – 3:20 PM ET
A depiction of the Doomsday Clock is removed following an announcement by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists (BAS) announcing that it has moved the hands to five minutes to midnight
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The Doomsday Clock was set up as a symbol of how close the world is to nuclear armageddon. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a prominent group of international scientists, move the minute hands on the clock toward (and sometimes away from) midnight (which symbolizes nuclear war).
In light of the increased tensions on the Strait of Hormuz, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has moved the clock once again, from 6-minutes-to-midnight to 5-minutes-to-midnight.
Below, a look at every movement of the Doomsday clock since it was introduced in 1947 and the reason the hands moved:
1947: Seven minutes to midnight
The clock first appears as a symbol of nuclear danger.
1949: Three minutes to midnight
The Soviet Union explodes its first atomic bomb.
1953: Two minutes to midnight
The United States and the Soviet Union test thermonuclear devices within nine months of one another.
1960: Seven minutes to midnight
Growing public understanding that nuclear weapons made war between the major powers irrational amid greater international scientific cooperation and efforts to aid poor nations.
NOTE: The clock was not reset for the Cuban Missile Crisis, which was arguably the closest the world ever came to all out nuclear war.
1963: Twelve minutes to midnight
The U.S. and Soviet signing of the Partial Test Ban Treaty “provides the first tangible confirmation of what has been the Bulletin’s conviction in recent years — that a new cohesive force has entered the interplay of forces shaping the fate of mankind.”
1968: Seven minutes to midnight
France and China acquire nuclear weapons; wars rage in the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, and Vietnam; world military spending increases while development funds shrink.
1969: Ten minutes to midnight
The U.S. Senate ratifies the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
1972: Twelve minutes to midnight
The United States and the Soviet Union sign the first Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
1974: Nine minutes to midnight
SALT talks reach an impasse; India develops a nuclear weapon.
1980: Seven minutes to midnight
The deadlock in US-Soviet arms talks continues; nationalistic wars and terrorist actions increase; the gulf between rich and poor nations grows wider.
1981: Four minutes to midnight
Both superpowers develop more weapons for fighting a nuclear war. Terrorist actions, repression of human rights, and conflicts in Afghanistan, Poland and South Africa add to world tension.
1984: Three minutes to midnight
The arms race accelerates.
1988: Six minutes to midnight
The United States and the Soviet Union sign a treaty to eliminate intermediate-range nuclear forces; superpower relations improve; more nations actively oppose nuclear weapons.
1990: Ten minutes to midnight
The Cold War ends as the Iron Curtain falls.
1991: Seventeen minutes to midnight
The United States and the Soviet Union sign the long-stalled Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) and announce further unilateral cuts in tactical and strategic nuclear weapons.
1995: Fourteen minutes to midnight
Further arms reductions stall while global military spending continues at Cold War levels. Risks of nuclear “leakage” from poorly guarded former Soviet facilities increase.
1998: Nine minutes to midnight
India and Pakistan “go public” with nuclear tests. The United States and Russia cannot agree on further deep reductions in their nuclear stockpiles.
2002: Seven minutes to midnight
The United States rejects a series of arms control treaties and announces it will withdraw from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. Terrorists seek to acquire and use nuclear and biological weapons.
2007: Five minutes to midnight.
North Korea’s recent test of a nuclear weapon, Iran’s nuclear ambitions, a renewed emphasis on the military utility of nuclear weapons,” and the continued presence of 26,000 US and Russian nuclear weapons are cited.
2010: Six minutes to midnight.
President Barack Obama is hailed for helping to pull the world back from nuclear or environmental catastrophe, and leaders of nuclear weapons states are cooperating to reduce their arsenals for the first time since 1945.
2012: Five minutes to midnight.
Global failure to take action against climate change, mounting nuclear tensions and an increasing tendency to reject science are cited as reasons for moving the clock.
news.nationalpost.com/2012/01/10/as-iran-ramps-up-its-nuclear-program-a-look-at-every-movement-of-the-doomsday-clock/
As Iran ramps up its nuclear program, a look at every movement of the Doomsday Clock
Agence France-Presse Jan 10, 2012 – 3:20 PM ET
A depiction of the Doomsday Clock is removed following an announcement by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists (BAS) announcing that it has moved the hands to five minutes to midnight
Comments
inShare
The Doomsday Clock was set up as a symbol of how close the world is to nuclear armageddon. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a prominent group of international scientists, move the minute hands on the clock toward (and sometimes away from) midnight (which symbolizes nuclear war).
In light of the increased tensions on the Strait of Hormuz, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has moved the clock once again, from 6-minutes-to-midnight to 5-minutes-to-midnight.
Below, a look at every movement of the Doomsday clock since it was introduced in 1947 and the reason the hands moved:
1947: Seven minutes to midnight
The clock first appears as a symbol of nuclear danger.
1949: Three minutes to midnight
The Soviet Union explodes its first atomic bomb.
1953: Two minutes to midnight
The United States and the Soviet Union test thermonuclear devices within nine months of one another.
1960: Seven minutes to midnight
Growing public understanding that nuclear weapons made war between the major powers irrational amid greater international scientific cooperation and efforts to aid poor nations.
NOTE: The clock was not reset for the Cuban Missile Crisis, which was arguably the closest the world ever came to all out nuclear war.
1963: Twelve minutes to midnight
The U.S. and Soviet signing of the Partial Test Ban Treaty “provides the first tangible confirmation of what has been the Bulletin’s conviction in recent years — that a new cohesive force has entered the interplay of forces shaping the fate of mankind.”
1968: Seven minutes to midnight
France and China acquire nuclear weapons; wars rage in the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, and Vietnam; world military spending increases while development funds shrink.
1969: Ten minutes to midnight
The U.S. Senate ratifies the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
1972: Twelve minutes to midnight
The United States and the Soviet Union sign the first Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
1974: Nine minutes to midnight
SALT talks reach an impasse; India develops a nuclear weapon.
1980: Seven minutes to midnight
The deadlock in US-Soviet arms talks continues; nationalistic wars and terrorist actions increase; the gulf between rich and poor nations grows wider.
1981: Four minutes to midnight
Both superpowers develop more weapons for fighting a nuclear war. Terrorist actions, repression of human rights, and conflicts in Afghanistan, Poland and South Africa add to world tension.
1984: Three minutes to midnight
The arms race accelerates.
1988: Six minutes to midnight
The United States and the Soviet Union sign a treaty to eliminate intermediate-range nuclear forces; superpower relations improve; more nations actively oppose nuclear weapons.
1990: Ten minutes to midnight
The Cold War ends as the Iron Curtain falls.
1991: Seventeen minutes to midnight
The United States and the Soviet Union sign the long-stalled Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) and announce further unilateral cuts in tactical and strategic nuclear weapons.
1995: Fourteen minutes to midnight
Further arms reductions stall while global military spending continues at Cold War levels. Risks of nuclear “leakage” from poorly guarded former Soviet facilities increase.
1998: Nine minutes to midnight
India and Pakistan “go public” with nuclear tests. The United States and Russia cannot agree on further deep reductions in their nuclear stockpiles.
2002: Seven minutes to midnight
The United States rejects a series of arms control treaties and announces it will withdraw from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. Terrorists seek to acquire and use nuclear and biological weapons.
2007: Five minutes to midnight.
North Korea’s recent test of a nuclear weapon, Iran’s nuclear ambitions, a renewed emphasis on the military utility of nuclear weapons,” and the continued presence of 26,000 US and Russian nuclear weapons are cited.
2010: Six minutes to midnight.
President Barack Obama is hailed for helping to pull the world back from nuclear or environmental catastrophe, and leaders of nuclear weapons states are cooperating to reduce their arsenals for the first time since 1945.
2012: Five minutes to midnight.
Global failure to take action against climate change, mounting nuclear tensions and an increasing tendency to reject science are cited as reasons for moving the clock.
news.nationalpost.com/2012/01/10/as-iran-ramps-up-its-nuclear-program-a-look-at-every-movement-of-the-doomsday-clock/
