Putting the clocks back in winter
is bad for health, wastes energy and increases pollution, scientists say, and
putting an end to the practice in northern areas could bring major health and
environmental benefits.
Countries across Europe, the United
States, Canada and parts of the Middle East mark the start of winter by ending
Daylight Saving Time (DST) and putting their clocks back by an hour — often in
late October or early November — a move that means it is lighter by the time
most people get up to start their day.
But this also robs afternoons of an
hour of daylight, and some experts argue that in more northern regions, the
energy needed to brighten this darkness, and the limits it puts on outdoor activities
are harming our health and the environment.
Leaving clocks alone as winter
approaches would allow an extra hour of daylight in the afternoon and could
boost levels of vitamin D as well as encourage people to exercise more.
In some countries, such as Britain
and Russia, politicians are being asked to consider parliamentary bills
suggesting it’s time for a change.
“It must be rare to find a
means of vastly improving the health and well-being of nearly everyone in the
population — and at no cost,” said Mayer Hillman of the Policy Studies
Institute in Britain, where a bill on DST is coming up for consideration in
parliament soon. “And here we have it.”
Almost half of the world’s
population has lower than optimal levels of vitamin D, often called the sunshine
vitamin. Vitamin D deficiency is a well-known risk factor for rickets and
evidence suggests it may increase susceptibility to autoimmune diseases.
Hillman conducted a study focused
on Scotland, the northern-most part of Britain, which found that switching to
Central European Time — to Greenwich Mean Time plus one hour (GMT+1) in the
winter and GMT+2 in the summer — would give most adults 300 extra hours of
daylight a year.
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