Will the symbolic Doomsday Clock move closer to the fatal end?

The Doomsday Clock is a visual for how bad the state of the world is in.

The Doomsday Clock is a symbolic visual of the world's impending doom. Once the clock strikes midnight, the world as we know it will come to an apocalyptic halt -all of our own doing.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS) is responsible for telling the world what to expect as a result of pollution, global warming, war and more.

The Doomsday Clock announcement is set for January 26. There will be a live international news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. at 1:30 p.m. to announce whether the minute hand of the Doomsday Clock will move.

Per the website: "Tensions between the United States and Russia that remain at levels reminiscent of the Cold War, the danger posed by climate change, and nuclear proliferation concerns, including the recent North Korean nuclear test, are the main factors influencing the decision about any adjustment that may be made to the Doomsday Clock. 

"In January 2015, the Doomsday Clock's minute hand advanced two minutes, moving from five to three minutes before midnight, the closest it has been to catastrophe since the early days of above-ground hydrogen bomb testing.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists were founded in 1945 by University of Chicago scientists who helped develop the first atomic weapons in the Manhattan Project. 

In 2015, the BAS set the time to 3 minutes to midnight, adding: "'Unchecked climate change, global nuclear weapons modernizations, and outsized nuclear weapons arsenals pose extraordinary and undeniable threats to the continued existence of humanity, and world leaders have failed to act with the speed or on the scale required to protect citizens from potential catastrophe. 

"These failures of political leadership endanger every person on Earth.' Despite some modestly positive developments in the climate change arena, current efforts are entirely insufficient to prevent a catastrophic warming of Earth. Meanwhile, the United States and Russia have embarked on massive programs to modernize their nuclear triads-thereby undermining existing nuclear weapons treaties.

"'The clock ticks now at just three minutes to midnight because international leaders are failing to perform their most important duty-ensuring and preserving the health and vitality of human civilization.'"

Those responsible for moving the internationally recognized hands of the Doomsday clock are the Bulletin's Science and Security Board after it consults with its "Boards of Sponsors, which includes 16 Nobel Laureates. The clock has become a universally recognized indicator of the world's vulnerability to catastrophe from nuclear weapons, climate change, and emerging technologies."
What do you think will happen? Will the clock's minute hand move closer or further from the detonation time of midnight? Tell us what you think in the comments below!

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