| Friday, January 19, 2007 |
| Doomsday gets closer! |
The world 'officially' came closer to the 'ultimate deadline' when the hands of the Doomsday Clock was moved nearer to midnight.
The symbolic timepiece was adjusted by scientists on Wednesday, a recognition that the world is closer to nuclear annihilation than at any time since the early eighties!
The clock was devised by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, based in Chicago, the United States, in 1947, at the beginning of the atomic age as a method of warning the world.
The last time the clock was moved was in 2002, in the aftermath of the September 11 attack on the US, now known as 9/11.
Scientists agree that the world is a more dangerous place today than during the Cold War thanks to a combination of factors.
The main factors contributing to the global strain are: Tension over Iran's nuclear energy programme, Israel's nuclear arsenal, North Korea's nuclear ambitions, Japan's red-armament, global warming and diminishing resources, deteriorating Russian nuclear arsenal where underpaid scientists may sell their knowledge to the highest bidder, the 'no-first strike' policy being dropped by UN Security Council members as well as the possibility of terrorists using nuclear weapons.
"This move by the atomic scientists shows that the danger of nuclear weapons being used in war is significantly increasing," Kate Hudson, chairman of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, said in London.
He said the "the refusal of the nuclear-weapon states to disarm as agreed under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, along with their dangerous nuclear first-use policies and the illegal use of pre-emptive war, is leading to increased proliferation worldwide."
To reduce greenhouse gas emission, more and more states are turning to nuclear energy, yet these nuclear power stations require enriched uranium and plutonium. Scientists believe that countries are tempted to build nuclear weapons under the guise of nuclear energy.
When the Doomsday Clock was introduced in 1947, it was set at seven minutes to midnight, as it was in 2002. The clock represents not specific incidents but trends.
According to the clock, the closest we came to the Doomsday was in 1953 when the US and the Soviet Union tested hydrogen bombs within months of each other. In reality, the world came closest to nuclear catastrophe in 1962, during the Cuban missile crisis.
However, the setting of the clock has not always been fast enough to cope with the speed of global events and hence this period was not reflected in the clock's history. It has been moved 18 times since its initial start at seven minutes to midnight in 1947.Labels: Society |
| posted by a correspondent @ 10:21 AM |
|
|
|
