Doomsday Clock Moved Two Minutes Forward, To 23:57

An anonymous reader writes As reported by CNN and Time, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has moved their famed Doomsday Clock two minutes closer to midnight. Now at 23:57, this clock attempts to personify humanity's closeness to a global catastrophe (as caused by either climate change or nuclear war). According to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, this change is due to a lack of action regarding climate issues, the continued existence of nuclear weapon stockpiles, and the increased animosity that now exists between the United States and Russia.

Comments

Moar indicators pleaz

[Anonymous Coward]

How bout one for how racist America is? Or how mean Republicans are? These are other things we need to be able to fake track.

IMO

[Osgeld]

its horseshit scare tactics that dont work anymore over nonsense bullshit that has no leg to stand on

so who cares, move it to 1 am, doesnt mean a damn thing

Re:IMO

[Anonymous Coward]

The 'bulletin' is a perfect example of what happens when social justice warriors are allowed to take over.

Re:IMO

[Applehu Akbar]

In the days when the Doomsday Clock was published by actual atomic scientists, it measured their perception of how imminent the Cold War danger was. The end of Communism cut the Doomsday Clockers adrift, much as Salk vaccine did to the March of Dimes.

So are the SJWs who found this thing in the attic and dusted it off advancing the clock because of carbon, or because of Islam? Let me guess...

Re:IMO

[Anonymous Coward]

its horseshit scare tactics that dont work anymore over nonsense bullshit that has no leg to stand on

so who cares, move it to 1 am, doesnt mean a damn thing

Uh, I could be spitballing here, but maybe, just maybe, the original designers of the clock felt that humanity should fucking care.

Or perhaps it was created to point out that they should. It's not called the Bake-A-Cake clock.

And don't get me started on horseshit scare tactics. Politics have caused more panic and damage with global warming than 10,000 clocks ever could.

Re:IMO

[rossdee]

"so who cares, move it to 1 am, doesnt mean a damn thing"

They'll do that in March anyway.

Re:IMO

[Jane Q. Public]

Climate Change Deniers have taken to calling themselves Skeptics precisely because of this negative connotation to our cause, just as AGW proponents changed to talk of Climate Change when they saw that Global Warming was no longer winning over the masses with their fear-mongering.

Yep, it is hilarious considering that those deniers are part of the religious right (often stating their reason for denying climate change is something about god). To them, skeptics have the negative connotation. I guess they can't ask for people to believe their claims "on faith" anymore.

Wrong on both counts.

First, your revisionist history does not match recorded history. Most of the people you call deniers have ALWAYS labeled themselves skeptics. There are some just plain disbelievers, who disbelieve based on faith. But the majority of them follow the actual science.

Second, most of these skeptics are NOT right-wing religious fanatics.

Both of these myths have been promoted by the True Believers: the alarmists who can't back up their claims with real science.

The recent declaration of 2014 as "the hottest year" -- when it wasn't anything of the kind -- is a wonderful illustration of the idiocy behind CO2 warming alarmism. Self-described Climate Scientists claimed the satellite temperature record would be the most accurate ever. And it is. But now that the satellite data is disproving their pet theory, they just leave that data out.

It's really quite hilarious.

More Global Warming Alarmism!!!!!!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes....let's compare the aeons long climate changes to the threat of instant extinction due to global nuclear war. Do these global warming alarmists think that some "Day After Tomorrow" type even is going to wipe out the planet? That people not driving a hybrid car is the same as detonating a nuke in a major urban area?

Global warming is a hoax. A wealth redistribution program. That's it. Al Gore and the rest of the billionaire elite can keep the peons down all they want. But the scam is getting more and more ridiculous. The claims more and more outrageous. What's next? Amber Alerts over gasoline guzzlers? EPA patrols at night to enforce a driving curfew or carpools?

Want to stop 'man made' global warming? Kill yourself. End overpopulation. Starting with the UN and every politician.

Re:More Global Warming Alarmism!!!!!!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

Global warming is a hoax.

Try to separate reality from politics. Al Gore and the rest of the billionaire elite may well be using Global warming as an excuse to keep us peons down yet such actions are independent of and speak nothing about whether global warming itself is occurring nor does it shed any light on what potential consequences if any may be. These are things that require careful research and consideration to arrive at an understanding that isn't completely worthless.

It is possible to concurrently agree with a climate prediction while strongly disagreeing about what should be done about it.

A wealth redistribution program

Gasoline is a wealth redistribution program if ever there was one with hard earned dollars going to fund cartoon empires with medieval sensibilities all around the globe.

The claims more and more outrageous. What's next? Amber Alerts over gasoline guzzlers? EPA patrols at night to enforce a driving curfew or carpools?

Doubtful "elite" have appetites for things which also negatively affect them. Taxing shit they dislike to death so peons can't afford is more their style.

Want to stop 'man made' global warming? Kill yourself. End overpopulation. Starting with the UN and every politician.

As an agent of the Aschen confederation you should demonstrate more patience.

Re:More Global Warming Alarmism!!!!!!!!

[Chas]

A wealth redistribution program

Gasoline is a wealth redistribution program if ever there was one with hard earned dollars going to fund cartoon empires with medieval sensibilities all around the globe.

Yeah. But with gasoline. You get...gasoline. Something for something.

With "carbon credits" you get...what? Some guy going "Good for you dude! And thanks for the cash!". Something for nothing.

Oh yay, more about the bullshit clock

[Sycraft-fu]

You know, when something says that we are so close to destruction for over half a century... well you have to wonder why anyone would put any stock in it. It is a bit hard to reconcile with being on the edge of destruction, and yet everything continuing to not be destroyed.

Re:Oh yay, more about the bullshit clock

[Anonymous Coward]

I think part of his point is that the clock isn't based on anything. It's completely arbitrary. One event moves it a minute, another two, then then other events aren't noticed at all. When things are good, does the clock ever move back?

I'm with the original comment here. This clock may have started with good intentions, but today, it seems like nothing more than a propaganda tool for certain agendas, a feel good action similar to clicking the "Like" button on a Facebook page. That sure helped, you clicked a button! Much change, so help, many feelings, wow.

It doesn't do anything, doesn't tell us anything we don't already know, doesn't solve any problems. I don't see it as useful for anything other than scare mongering.

Re:Fear

[CurryCamel]

or alternatively - go do something already!
Looking at all the smart(ass) comments on slashdot gives me hope that 'living in harmony and peace' is not beyond our intelligence capabilities as the human race (how hard can it be?!?). Somebody just needs to kick the cynics' collective butt.
Fair try with the clock. 7/10.

^^Winner

[TrollstonButterbeans]

The risk of nuclear war was very real during the Cold war. Today, those countries are trading partners and run in a far more responsive manner, Russia is a democracy.

The idea of the Doomsday clock being closer than the cold war is silly.

Take the clock, put it in the trash. Disband the committee. Perhaps the symbol helped awareness during the Cold war but this is just a joke now.

Re:^^Winner

[quenda]

Russia is a democracy.

Ha, good one Trollston! You had me there for a minute.

Re:^^Winner

[Opportunist]

Which one isn't? Even though I'd debate the intelligence of some agencies, but the first part?

you can't boil this down to one variable

[Karmashock]

maybe when it was just the US vs USSR this might have been almost workable but at this point you really need a different clock for every nuclear power.

And short of that, this stupid clock is meaningless.

Re:Wow you sure showed me!

[Imrik]

Genes aren't the only things that are hereditary. Many behaviors are learned from the environment rather than being innate to a person's biology.

Wait a second...

[Cheviot]

When did they add climate change to the Doomsday Clock and what makes the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists experts on how much closer global warming puts us to global catastrophe?

Re:Balderdash

[Isaac-1]

Make that was given, regardless of if you are an Obama supporter or not, you must admit many of the resasons he was given the prize so early in his presidency were not based on actions, but based on campaign promises that never came to passs.

Re:What a surprise

[Opportunist]

Wait, there's a left now in US politics? When did that happen?

Re:Balderdash

[Livius]

Obama got it for not being Bush, which at the time was a major step forward for world peace.

Re:Balderdash

[phayes]

Has world peace made a major step forward in the years Obama has been President? No. In fact by abandoning Iraq before they were ready Obama fostered the Islamic State which we will be spending the next few presidencies working on.

Obama was indeed handed the NPP for not being Bush but that says more about the NPP's political leanings and how irrelevant the NPP is than anything else.