The closest measure of how "close we are" to a critical global threat is symbolized by the Doomsday Clock, which as of 2025 is set to 89 seconds before midnight. This is the closest humanity has ever been to self-annihilation, indicating an extreme level of danger caused by factors like nuclear risk, climate change, biological threats, and disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence. The clock moved closer to midnight due to insufficient global progress on these existential risks and worsening geopolitical conflicts, highlighting an urgent need for action to avoid catastrophe.
This metaphorical clock, established in 1947, serves as a graphic warning about the risk of global collapse, and its time adjustments reflect the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists' assessment of how close the world is to disaster.
In a different context, the phrase "how close we are" can be understood grammatically as a noun clause stating proximity, not a question, but in this case, the primary significance is the symbolic measure of existential threat.
Thus, currently, we are extremely close to a potential global disaster as marked by the Doomsday Clock at 89 seconds to midnight.
