Springing Forward: Daylight Saving Time Around the World and its Controversies”
Daylight Saving Time (DST) entails moving the Controversies clocks ahead by one hour during summer months to maximize the use of natural daylight. The United States, Canada, and Cuba are preparing to shift their clocks forward by an hour on March 10, signaling the commencement of Daylight Saving Time (DST).
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Controversies
In the US and several neighboring nations, DST will start this year on March 10 at 2 am local time, resulting in a one-hour loss for individuals. Meanwhile, in the UK and various European countries, daylight saving time, also known as ‘summer time,’ will commence on March 31.
Numerous countries in the Northern Hemisphere, situated above the equator, adopt DST during the summer months, typically starting between March and April and concluding between September and November when they revert to standard time.
Conversely, countries in the Southern Hemisphere below the equator typically implement DST from September to November, concluding between March and April.
What is ‘Daylight Saving Time’? DST involves advancing the clocks by one hour during summer months to maximize natural daylight usage, then reversing the change in fall. While prevalent in North America and Europe, many countries, especially those near the equator, do not follow this practice.
Since its inception, DST has sparked controversy, with multiple adoptions and rejections by various countries. Egypt recently reinstated DST after a seven-year hiatus to optimize energy consumption. Japan considered implementing DST for the 2020 Olympics but dismissed the idea due to insufficient public support and technical complications.
Why use DST? According to Time and Date, less than 40% of the world’s countries utilize DST, employing it to optimize the utilization of natural evening daylight. Some studies suggest DST could decrease road accidents and injuries by providing additional daylight during peak traffic hours. However, other studies indicate that DST adjustments may negatively affect people’s health.
Additionally, DST aims to reduce the demand for artificial lighting during evening hours, although conflicting perspectives exist on its energy-saving efficacy.
DST in the US: Daylight saving time is observed in the US from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November, managed by the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) since 1966. Clocks will officially advance by an hour at 2 am on Sunday. If your smartphone serves as your alarm, no action is required. However, if you rely on an analog or digital clock not connected to Wi-Fi, adjusting it one hour before bedtime is advisable.
