What's the Deal with Daylight Saving Time? - as part of the news and politics series by GeoBeats.
Doesn't daylight saving time seem like a freak, random concept that someone came up with after having too much wine?
Well, for those who just see it as a waste of resources, there are historical reasons.
Before we discuss reasons, let's clarify one thing - it's daylight saving time not savings as many say. And from here on we'll just call it DST.
Benjamin Franklin is said to have first come up with the concept since it gave people more time to enjoy daylight but the first formal proposal for DST came from George Vernon Hudson in the late 19th century.
However, DST wasn't widely adopted until Germany saw it as a way to save coal during World War I. Other countries also believed DST would reduce energy consumption and followed thereafter. Before that, it was just standard time throughout the year.
Since energy usage patters are much different today, critics question the energy savings . Studies done in multiple countries have suggested that energy saved due to extra daylight hour in evening is ether neutralized by increased air-conditioning usage or higher energy use in the morning.
However, tourism and restaurant industries favor DST as people have an extra recreational hour. In a congressional testimony, DST coalition actually cited increased consumption of french fries as an example of economic benefit.
If you really dislike the idea of switching times twice a year, you can always move to Hawaii, Arizona or Puerto Rico. As this is not a federal mandate, states and territories can choose whether to implement it or not.
So what do you say - keep it as is, just go back to standard time or how about daylight saving time throughout the year?
