The hands of the Doomsday Clock did not move today as the Science and Security Board of The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists made their annual announcement. In a call to leaders and citizens of the world entitled, "This is your COVID wake-up call: It is 100 seconds to midnight," the statement explaining no change in the position of the hands on the clock began:
"Humanity continues to suffer as the COVID-19 pandemic spreads around the world. In 2020 alone, this novel disease killed 1.7 million people and sickened at least 70 million more. The pandemic revealed just how unprepared and unwilling countries and the international system are to handle global emergencies properly. In this time of genuine crisis, governments too often abdicated responsibility, ignored scientific advice, did not cooperate or communicate effectively, and consequently failed to protect the health and welfare of their citizens.
"As a result, many hundreds of thousands of human beings died needlessly.
"Though lethal on a massive scale, this particular pandemic is not an existential threat. Its consequences are grave and will be lasting. But COVID-19 will not obliterate civilization, and we expect the disease to recede eventually. Still, the pandemic serves as a historic wake-up call, a vivid illustration that national governments and international organizations are unprepared to manage nuclear weapons and climate change, which currently pose existential threats to humanity, or the other dangers—including more virulent pandemics and next-generation warfare—that could threaten civilization in the near future." Read the full announcement.