What is the latest in the land of Daylight Saving Time? Rules have come and gone across the world, then came again. This one does not make an exception.
Many US states have been debating whether to become like Hawaii and never have to change the clocks. All the ins and out of pan-national arguments have to clear though the hurdle of federal law. Checkthis website(hashtag #LockTheClock) for a very detailed catalogue of bills and their status, both at individual state level and in Congress.
The European Union is waiting for its member states to make up their mind. Who wants to stay on summer time and who wants to stick on winter time, it’s all very clear in principle. The European Commission proposed, the EU parliament and Council approved, now it’s time to gather the responses. After 20 years of a totally synchronized move to summer time, European countries move to individual preferences and a new clock regimein Europe.
In the meantime, in the UK, which stopped being a member of the EU on 31 January 2020, the possible shifts in time differences or offsets with EU countries is subject to quite intense scrutiny (as seen in thisparliamentary publication)
Will this mean fewer creative opportunities for DST opponents? Never before the internet has it been so apparent that changing the clocks ignites real passions.
Memes and GIFs, the best vehicle for viral spreading of new ideas or attitudes, have constantly added to their vast repertoire the bi-annual production of new takes on Daylight Saving Time.
Clocks going forward by one hour mean a bit less of actual sleep. It is not exactly a seven-hour jet lag, some could say. After all, it’s just 60 minutes, wasted as a matter of routine on menial tasks.
Sleep, though, falls under a different category and the master clock for that is the biological clock. No one could argue with that and each of us has a different biorhythm.