Scientists from the BPA have said the world has become more dangerous in the past year. BPA scientists are experts on nuclear weapons, energy, climate change, and new technologies. They set the Doomsday Clock, which was started in 1947 to show how close the world is to disaster. The BPA just moved the clock's minute hand from three minutes to midnight to two-and-a-half minutes to midnight. This is the closest it has been to midnight (the Apocalypse) since 1953. Then, the minute hand was at two minutes to midnight after hydrogen bomb tests by the USA and Russia.

The BPA's report said President Donald Trump's statements on climate change, nuclear weapons, immigration and terrorism have added to global risk. The BPA warned that: "The probability of global catastrophe is very high, and the actions needed to reduce the risks of disaster must be taken very soon." The BPA chief asked people to make sure their leaders do the right things. She said: "I hope the debate [created] by the 2017 setting of the Clock…helps citizens around the world hold their leaders responsible for delivering a safer and healthier planet."