The Doomsday Clock is nearing midnight, and USC students are scared.
The Doomsday Clock, which is now at 89 seconds until midnight, was established in 1947 to warn the public of the world’s susceptibility to catastrophe. In January 2024, the clock was set to 90 seconds to midnight.
Since 1947, the Doomsday Clock has been a metaphorical representation of how close the world is to uninhabitability and global disaster based on man-made activities.
The factors influencing this year’s time include nuclear risk, climate change and other emerging technologies like artificial intelligence. Some global events that have affected the time include Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and the worsening climate crisis.
The clock was established by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which included Albert Einstein, J. Robert Oppenheimer and University of Chicago scientists who developed atomic weapons in the Manhattan Project.
With the Doomsday Clock at an all-time low, worries about a potential catastrophe are at an all time now. Specifically, for college students beginning their adult lives, there are concerns about how their lives will be affected in the near future with so much current global conflict.
Scott Wilson, a second-year graduate student majoring in film and television production, expressed his concerns about the future.
“It’s definitely scary,” Wilson said. “I’m someone that when I think about getting older and I think about potentially having a family, future and career, it kind of seems inconsequential when you’re given a lot of data that shows that your earth may be uninhabitable.”
However, Wilson acknowledged that he might be alone in his fears.
“I think a lot of people numb themselves to it, particularly with social media now too. It’s so easy to just turn our brains off and think about other things,” he said.
Renee Shanteler, a second-semester master’s student majoring in music industry, said she does her best to avoid bad news like the Doomsday Clock.
“I haven’t checked it in a while, just because the world is horrible and I don’t need to think about it more,” she said.
While some students were worried and upset about the news of the moving Doomsday Clock, many agreed with the clock that midnight is fast approaching.
Kaycee Odrodior, a senior communications major, spoke about the struggles that could be contributing to the progression of the Doomsday Clock.
“I just got out of class where we were talking about the L.A. wildfires, and I had a classmate who was talking about her experience because she just lost her home, and it’s crazy,” Odrodior said. “I was also sitting next to another student who was talking about how she’s dealing with another issue with her family and immigration. There was another student who was dealing with this whole thing with Israel and Hamas.”
While many of these issues contribute to the winding down of the clock, Odrodior blames leadership in the United States.
“[With] Trump just getting back into office and him working around the clock, I definitely am worried — and then also seeing how government officials are handling everything. It’s really worrisome,” she said.
Wilson also agreed that political leadership is partially responsible for the impending destruction shown by the Doomsday Clock.
“I think every individual has to do their part in trying to make the world a better place, but it’s hard when sometimes our political leaders — I won’t name names — but someone that’s currently our president is not the most selfless person,” Wilson said. “So trying to make a difference is hard when the people that are in power are sometimes corrupted by other ideas. It’s definitely scary.”
Tianuri Huang, a sophomore majoring in applied math, said he believes that politicians should try their hardest to make a difference and change current global conflicts.
“I think they need to take the responsibility. They need to do something. Like stop the [Israel and Hamas] war and try to become peaceful between countries,” Huang said. “People don’t like to fight. It’s bad for both countries, for both sides.”