Watch CBS News

Gov. Jerry Brown Named To Lead Doomsday Clock Group

SACRAMENTO (AP) -- California Gov. Jerry Brown has been named executive chairman of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a group that measures manmade threats to human existence.

The group manages the Doomsday Clock. It's a visual representation of how close the Bulletin believes the world is to catastrophe brought on by nuclear weapons, climate change and new technologies.

The group announced Thursday that the Democratic governor leaving office in January will take over leadership of the bulletin.

It says Brown and group members will generate information "to reduce manmade existential threats."

Brown says in a statement provided by the group that the planet is in one of its most dangerous eras since the atomic bomb was dropped.

He says it is "crucial to wake people up to the dangers that still persist."

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.