Is time to call time on daylight savings?
On the last Sunday of March, our clocks will spring forward to British Summer Time. And for the first time in a long time, the nation can look forward to freedom. A Summer of 99ps, dodgy tan lines and sweaty sex. Every armpit infused with patchouli and eucalyptus… OK, so maybe that’s just our fantasy. But as we contemplate how we’re going to make up for lost time, we should ask ourselves is dialling our clocks back and forth a waste of time? Could having an extra hour of light in the evenings all year long make us happier, safer and greener?
The environmental impact
Our friends in the EU certainly think so, voting to end the clock-changing practice. From next year each country will opt to stay in either a permanent Summer or Winter. We know which one we’d be choosing! And we’re not alone. Campaigners at Lighter Later argue that this simple switch could be a giant leap for planet-kind. By matching the times when the majority of people are awake with those where the sun is shining, we could slice our electricity and carbon emissions by half a millions tonnes. That’s the equivalent of 50,000 cars driving all the way around earth. Or 1788 plastic bags being produced for every home in the UK.
But that's not all…
And there are more benefits. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents estimates that, with increased visibility during rush hour, we could reduce road accidents by 212 per year. An extra hour free from the shackles of work every evening would mean we’d spend more money on leisure activities. Throw in all the tourists having more time to explore too, and we’re looking at an extra Ј3.5 billion a year for our economy. Are we really in a position to turn that down? No, we’re not Boris.
To the pub!
But the benefit you’re mostly likely to rally behind is the simplest one. Longer, hotter evenings mean warm beers in your favourite pub garden. The White Swans, Black Horses and Red Lions that, thanks to Covid, are more endangered than ever before. It means more time with much-missed friends. And a chance to claw back some of those lost years. So as your iPhones get ready for the update, join us in campaigning for the Summer that never ends.
And to save you some time, you can order the perfect summer deodorant here with 10% off.
1 comment
Great points and all good things! But there is research that says going the other way (having the extra light in the morning) is actually much better for our health! It helps with our sleeping patterns and waking up in the mornings that has long term health benefits like reduction in obesity rates 👍