Bulletin of Atomic Scientists points out international conflicts, global warming and artificial intelligence as major villains
The doomsday clock is ticking its worst level since its creation, 85 seconds to midnightaccording to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, published this Tuesday (27). Founded in 1945, the group, which included Albert Einstein, J. Robert Oppenheimer and scientists from the University of Chicago who helped develop the atomic bomb, launched the watch two years later.
O object functions as a representation of the end of humanityupon reaching midnight. The idea was to refer to the idea of nuclear holocaust, that is, the total destruction of the earth by nuclear bombs, which circulated the popular imagination at the time.
According to the statement published by the association, the scale of international conflicts, such as Pakistan-India, Russia-Ukraine, and Israel and the United States attacking Iran contributed to the result, putting the planet at nuclear risk.
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The bulletin also points to the increase in the level of CO2 in the atmosphere as accelerating the end of humanity. The level of carbon dioxide reached 150% of the pre-industrial percentage, a new record.
The planet’s temperature has also increased. For the third time in the last four years, more than 60,000 people died from heat in Europe.
Trump e HIM
The publication continues to criticize the last three meetings of the United Nations (UN), arguing that they did not emphasize the end of fossil fuels or monitoring carbon emissions.
Donald Trump’s government is also criticized for “declaring war on renewable energy and sensitive climate policies”. The text also accuses the American president of sabotaging the country’s attempts to combat climate change.
Artificial intelligence
The text ends by pointing out that artificial intelligence has the potential to be used as a helper to create pathogens that the human body would not be able to defend against. The weakening of biological weapons production standards encourages this scenario, according to the group.
The publication reinforces the criticism of the United States by citing that Trump revoked an executive order on AI safety, and says that both the country, Russia and China have adopted AI in their defense systems, despite the risk of these decisions.
The group analyzes that the technological advancement of AI can accelerate the existing chaos and dysfunction of the world ecosystem, fueling disinformation campaigns and discourses such as ultranationalism around the world.
Suggestions
At the end of the text, the group suggests that the United States and Russia resume discussions on reduce their nuclear arsenalsin addition to also discussing limitations to the use of AI with China.
It also calls on the US Congress to repudiate Trump’s actions regarding his “war” against renewable energy.
