Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1335208
Doomsday time... Representatives of the Bulletin for Atomic Scientists unveil the Doomsday Clock for 2021, moving the time to 100 seconds to midnight – closer to midnight than ever in its history. The BAS said this week that the COVID-19 pandemic will end up killing well over two million people around the globe due to the mishandling of this grave global health crisis – a "wake-up call" that governments, institutions, and a misled public remain unprepared to handle the even greater threats posed by nuclear war and climate change. Given this and the lack of progress in 2020 in dealing with nuclear and climate perils, the Doomsday Clock remains as close to midnight as it has ever been – just 100 seconds to midnight. In December 2020, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists marked its 75th anniversary. Founded in 1945 by Albert Einstein and University of Chicago scientists who helped develop the first atomic weapons in the Manhattan Project, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists created the Doomsday Clock two years later, using the imagery of apocalypse (midnight) and the contemporary idiom of nuclear explosion (countdown to zero) to convey threats to humanity and the planet. Dr. Rachel Bronson, president and CEO, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, said: "The hands of the Doomsday Clock remain at 100 seconds to midnight, as close to midnight as ever. The lethal and fear-inspiring COVID-19 pandemic serves as a historic 'wake-up call,' a vivid illustration that national governments and international organizations are unprepared to manage the truly civilization-ending threats of nuclear weapons and climate change." Among the steps that should be taken to address nuclear, climate, and other major threats include US and Russian talks to extend New START and keep nuclear arsenals at current levels; for the US to accelerate decarbonization as well as declare its commitment to no-first-use of nuclear weapons, and persuade allies and rivals to agree that no-first-use is a step toward security and stability; return to Iran talks; and for Russia to rejoin the NATO-Russia Council. 14 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 31 JANUARY 2021 EYEWITNESS