SOMETIMES THE decision to change a country’s time zone can be political. Despite its vastness, all of China runs on Beijing time—a decision taken by Mao Zedong in 1949 to instil unity. (Pity the poor people of Xinjiang province in China’s far west, where sometimes the sun does not rise until 10am.) For almost three years, until 2018, North Korea existed in its very own time zone, half an hour behind its southern neighbour, in keeping with its hermit tendencies. But more often countries fiddle with the time of day for practical reasons. Some 70 countries, mostly in the Americas and Europe, apply Daylight Savings Time during the summer months. Most American clocks (Arizona and Hawaii opt out of changing theirs) will fall back once again this weekend. But is it necessary?
In the 18th century Benjamin Franklin mooted the idea of moving the clocks forward in the summer. But the practice really took hold during the first world war. Britain, France and Germany calculated that by adding an extra hour’s daylight in the evening, a saving could be made on coal. This, in turn, would help the war effort. Later, other benefits suggested themselves. It might increase consumer spending, as shoppers are encouraged to stay out later into the evening. It might even reduce crime. As the ne’er-do-well’s adage might go: “the longer the daylight, the less I do wrong.”
For all that, clock-changing is unpopular. In 2019 the European Parliament voted to end this long-established practice from 2021 (though the small matter of a global pandemic has pushed it back indefinitely). When the EU ran a poll among its citizens, it gathered nearly 5m responses. Over 80% wanted time-alternating scrapped, and for good reason. Although it has not been proven conclusively, many scientists think that changing the clocks messes with humans’ circadian rhythms. It is, says one, akin to injecting a micro dose of jet lag. This may increase the chances of heart attacks and strokes. It could also be that car accidents increase, as drivers used to commuting in the daylight, for example, suddenly have to do so in the dark (or vice versa). Productivity may go down, too. Perhaps most inconvenient for businesses is the fact that countries may change their clocks at different times. Most of Europe turned its clocks back on October 31st. Any European working to an American deadline has had to reschedule their labour to start an hour earlier than usual—and from Monday has to forget that process and go back to the old routine.
Is Daylight Savings Time here to stay? There is no sign that the EU will abolish it soon. In America, a bipartisan group of senators has put forward a bill, the “Sunshine Protection Act of 2021”, which would stick with summer time all year round, but it has gained little momentum. Nineteen state legislatures have passed laws to the same effect, among them California, Florida and Washington, but a lack of congressional approval means their residents will all still put their clocks back this weekend. Daylight Savings Time is not yet running out.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article was published in 2019.
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