SCIENTISTS HAVE MOVED the symbolic Doomsday Clock a minute closer to midnight, meaning it now stands at 11.55pm.

The clock is maintained by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS) and is a symbolic gauge of how close the world is to destruction. The minute hand was last moved in 2010, when it went back one minute to stand at six minutes to midnight.

Announcing the latest change to the clock, Allison Macfarlane of the BAS explained that “two years ago it appeared that world leaders might address the truly global threats we face. In many cases, this trend has not continued or has been reversed.”

The latest minute change means that the clock is back to the time it marked in 2007.

Macfarlane said that decisions made in the few years about climate change are hugely important, warning that people “may be near a point of no return” in a bid to prevent catastrophic changes in the atmosphere:

The International Energy Agency projects that, unless societies begin building alternatives to carbon-emitting energy technologies over the next five years, the world is doomed to a warmer climate, harsher weather, droughts, famine, water scarcity, rising sea levels, loss of island nations, and increasing ocean acidification.

In a statement, the BAS said that “obstacles to a world free of nuclear weapons remain”, including the disagreement between the US and Russia over missile defence plans and distrust between nuclear states.

It also cited ambiguity over Iran’s nuclear programme as an example of the “unsolved problem” of nuclear proliferation and rising international tensions over nuclear weapons.

Watch the latest Doomsday Clock announcement:

(Video via AssociatedPress)