Student Pugwash USA, inspired by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, announces the launch of the Youth Doomsday Clock Project. The famous Doomsday Clock, produced by the Bulletin, was set at 90 seconds to midnight in 2023 and "tells the world what time it is," measuring the distance to human-caused global catastrophe. The Youth Doomsday Clock Project asks the question, "do young people agree?"
We'll be bringing together an international group of students and young professionals to discuss and debate the critical existential threats facing humankind, including nuclear weapons, climate change, and other emerging dangers. These young people will set their own clock to a time of their choosing, which may or may not agree with the original Clock. At the end of their deliberations in May 2023, the Youth Clock time will be announced alongside a public statement providing more detail about how and why they arrived at their conclusion.
The Clock Project will be youth-run and youth-organized; Student Pugwash USA will provide guidelines and organizational support, but the content, scope, and management of discussions will be left up to the participants themselves. Student Pugwash USA sees this as our way of meeting our mission to educate and empower young people to address today's and tomorrow's crucial challenges in ethics, science, technology, and society.
Applications for the Clock Project are now open. All undergraduate and graduate students, and young professionals, are welcome. To get involved, send an email to clock@studentpugwash.org, including a brief bio and your reasons for joining the Project. Please indicate whether you are interested in being a participant in the Project, or if you also want to be one of the lead organizers developing the Project and how the participants will do their work. Questions, comments, and media inquiries can be sent to clock@studentpugwash.org.
