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Letter: Doomsday Clock is ticking

Clock only symbolic, but the problems are real
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Doomsday Clock EPA/MICHAEL REYNOLDS

Editor,

The ‘Doomsday Clock’ has been moved forward 30 seconds as a result of world tensions and the United States Trump government’s responses to these issues.

Thirty out of 86,400 seconds (one whole day) doesn’t seem too alarming, but when you consider it as 30 out the remaining 120 seconds a different picture is painted.

The two main contributing factors mentioned are nuclear weapons, enthusiastically supported by a number of the world’s leaders and climate change, enthusiastically denied by a number of the world’s leaders.

Scientists have a reputation for being cautious, double checking their facts and processes and only publishing results they can stand behind, so perhaps we should listen to them.

The same characteristics cannot always be seen in a number of the world’s leaders.

The clock is only symbolic, but the problems are real.

Let’s listen to the scientists as I like this world and want to do a few things in the next few years, including watching the remaining Game of Thrones episodes.

Beware – our nuclear ‘Winter is coming’.

Dennis Fitzgerald

Melbourne, Australia