The planet is closer to a catastrophic disaster than at any time since 1953. That’s according to the scientists behind the Doomsday Clock, a symbolic timekeeper that tracks the likelihood of nuclear war and other existential threats. On Thursday, the scientists moved the clock’s minute hand 30 seconds closer to midnight. The hour now sits at two-and-a-half minutes before doomsday. This is Rachel Bronson of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.

Rachel Bronson: “But perhaps most troubling has been two concerns that are adding to an already challenging global landscape. The first: the first has been the cavalier and reckless language used across the globe, especially in the United States during the presidential election and after, around nuclear weapons and nuclear threats. And the second is a growing disregard of scientific expertise, expertise that is needed when it comes to responding to pressing global challenges, including climate change. There is a troubling propensity to discount, or outright reject, expert advice related to international security, including the conclusions of intelligence experts.”

Scientists are planning for a major march on Washington, called the “March for Science on DC.” The idea came after millions of people rallied in D.C. and in cities across the world last Saturday for the Women’s March on Washington to protest the inauguration of Donald Trump.