Well this is an interesting concept. The Doomsday Clock is sitting on 11:55 predicting that the end of the world is near. The closer it gets to midnight, the worse the outlook on the fate of humanity. 

This group of scientist wrote a letter to President Barack Obama announcing that global warming is the key threat to the end of the human race and possibly any living creatures on earth. 

They pointed out in their letter to the president that "2012 was the hottest year on record in the contiguous United States, marked by devastating drought and brutal storms.These extreme events are exactly what climate models predict for an atmosphere laden with greenhouse gases." 

The east coast recently felt the destruction as Hurricane Sandy surprised many and devastated hundreds of thousands. 

Despite the grim look at the world's future, the scientist gave Obama credit for what he's done with renewable energy sources allowing Americans to get power from different sources. 

In 2010, the clock moved backwards after Obama's first full year in office. However, the scientist believe this is a crucial year for the president. "This is the year for U.S. leadership in slowing climate change and setting a path toward a world without nuclear weapons," said Robert Socolow who is the chair of the board in charge of the time on the clock. 

This is the closest the clock has been to 12 in a while. The Doomsday Clock was first created in 1947 following the birth of nuclear bombs. After the first hydrogen bomb was tested the clock struck 11:58, just two minutes to 12. It was the closest it's ever been to striking midnight.

The best the clock has been since it was created, 1991 following the conclusion of the Cold War. It read 11:43, but since then, it has slowly crept back up to 12 and as of today it is sitting just five minutes from midnight.