Why do we actually have summer and winter time?
As early as 1784, Benjamin Franklin, an American inventor and scientist, declared that „extended nightlife wastes energy through artificial light. Getting up and going to bed earlier would help counteract this.“ But it would take well over a century before a time change was decreed by the state that took Franklin's idea into account. In 1916, daylight saving time was intended to support the battles of the First World War by keeping it light longer in the evenings. The experiment ended after the war in 1919. A similar experiment was attempted in 1940 with similar motivation. This second time experiment ended in 1949 with the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany and the GDR.
Then came the shock of the 1973 oil crisis, with car-free Sundays and skyrocketing petrol prices. People wanted and needed to save energy at all costs. But it would be years before daylight saving time was reintroduced to reduce energy consumption. From 1980 onwards, it applied in both German states. Other European countries followed suit, mainly to harmonise train and air traffic. Switzerland also joined in 1981. But uniform rules within Europe were still a long way off. It was not until 1996 that the different summer time regulations in the European Union were harmonised.
Today we know that the time change has not led to the hoped-for energy savings. In addition, the time difference can cause health problems for people, especially those with sleep disorders, poor concentration and depression. The effects on animals are also serious. Dairy cows, for example, must always be milked at the same time and can only gradually become accustomed to the new time of day. Deer and foxes are suddenly confronted with rush hour traffic, leading to an increase in accidents involving wildlife.
The time change is practically a European phenomenon. Other continents either never introduced it or abolished it long ago. A few exceptions, such as Egypt, Chile, Paraguay and Lebanon, confirm the rule. Since 2018, public pressure has led to a consensus in the EU that the time change experiment should be ended in 2021. For years, there has been debate about whether winter time or summer time should apply all year round. But first came Corona and then the war in Ukraine, which meant that politicians were confronted with completely different problems. The issue petered out. An agreement is therefore currently up in the air. Now, new elections for the EU Parliament are due in June 2024. New game, new luck!
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