Why Changing Clocks Could Exacerbate Europe’s Energy Crisis
Ending the autumn time shift as daylight saving ends would generate financial and environmental savings for Europe just when the continent needs it most, according to new research.
Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg
It happens every year. As daylight saving time ends in late autumn and standard time resumes, large parts of the northern hemisphere are plunged abruptly into early evening darkness. And millions of people ask if this discombobulating annual clock change is truly necessary.
Linked to productivity slumps and increases in heart attacks, car crashes and even crime, this relic of attempts to maximize working hours during World War I has somehow hung on despite expert doubts of its value and widespread unpopularity. Even European Union commitments to dispense with bi-annual clock changes have been put on the back burner as the union focuses on tackling more pressing issues, such as Covid, Brexit, the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis.