California Gov. Jerry Brown has taken over management of a grim but iconic symbol of potential destruction: The “Doomsday Clock.”
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has announced that “California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr.” has joined the nonprofit organization and will act as executive chairman.
The organization has maintained the Doomsday Clock since 1947 — a symbolic timepiece that suggests how close the world is to destruction from nuclear war, climate change, disruptive technologies and other threats.
The clock now stands at two minutes to midnight, matching a record set in 1953, when the U.S. and Soviet Union were busy testing nuclear weapons.
Mr. Brown’s new calling will further “the mission of providing the information needed to reduce manmade existential threats such as nuclear war, climate change, and disruptive technologies,” according to a statement from the organization.
“I think it’s crucial to wake people up to the dangers that still persist so many years after the dropping of the first atomic bomb. The peril grows and in no way diminishes. I think it’s important that scientists, political leaders, and other people who have positions of responsibility take the time to understand and probe into the basic issues that, if not handled right, could eliminate the whole human race,” Mr. Brown told John Mecklin, editor of the organization’s actual published bulletin.
The governor is not pleased with media coverage of end-of-the-world matters.
“Unfortunately, the news in the so-called democratic societies, particularly in America, is a function of conflict. It’s the conflict engendered by the president or against the president through tweets, through congressional battles. That dominates a lot of news, and the risk of the end of the world is not news. The risk of even great catastrophe is not news,” Mr. Brown noted.
“Gov. Brown is a passionate advocate of the Bulletin and its mission. He will help us advance our work of reducing the risk posed by manmade existential threats. We will put his deep intellect and incredible energy to good use,” said former Defense Secretary William J. Perry, chairman of the organization’s board of sponsors.
Mr. Brown — age 80 and the longest-serving California governor on record — leaves office on January 7, 2019. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, Democrat, and Republican challenger John Cox are vying to replace Mr. Brown in the November general election.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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