The Daylight Debate

Springing forward is perhaps one of the most tiresome events of the year. Losing an hour of sleep is never fun, but especially not when it is mandated to do so by the government. Many people are starting to question the why in this nation wide, even world wide time phenomenon: Daylight Saving Time.

The origins of Daylight Saving Time can be traced back to World War 1 era Germany, who did this in an effort to conserve resources such as fuel. The United States attempted to do the same in 1918, but it was quite unpopular and didn’t make it past wartime. This policy was attempted one again during World War 2 in the United States, but failed after three years. It wasn’t until the mid 70’s that the United States made the idea of Daylight Saving Time stick.

The main reason for keeping this time “saving” policy around is to lessen energy consumption; however, this has been debunked by many sources throughout the years. NBC Chicago explained that the same amount of energy is used by people running their air conditioners more. Recently, the logistics of Daylight Saving Time have been argued in the media and have become a spot of political dissent.

According to Reuters, a new bill has recently shown up in congress called “The Sunlight Protection Act” which is sponsored by Senator Marco Rubio. This act, if passed, would make time as we know it permanent, meaning that there would be no setting back or turning forward in their respective seasons. The people behind the act alleged that it would help to lessen the effects of seasonal depression as well as help children to stay outside longer, a seemingly win-win situation.

However, this change would not be inherently positive if approved. One issue presented would be kids having to go school in the mornings while it is still dark outside. This could result in dangers not seen before because of Daylight Savings Time. President Biden has not stated if he supports the act or not.