Lebanon was thrown into mass confusion after its government at the last minute delayed the start of daylight saving time by a month. Meanwhile, Greenland has chosen to stay with daylight saving time forever.
What is daylight saving time?
- Daylight saving time (DST) is the practice of setting the clocks forward one hour from the standard time during the summer and back again in the autumn.
- The goal of Daylight Saving Time is to make better use of daylight by prolonging the amount of time we can spend outside during daylight hours.
- India does not follow daylight saving time as countries near the Equator do not experience high variations in daytime hours between seasons.
- Because the spring to fall cycle is opposite in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, DST lasts from March to October/November in Europe and the US, and from September/October to April in New Zealand and Australia.
Rationale behind this system:
- The rationale behind setting clocks ahead of standard time is to ensure that the clocks show a later sunrise and later sunset — in effect a longer evening daytime.
- Individuals will wake an hour earlier than usual, complete their daily work routines an hour earlier, and have an extra hour of daylight at the end.
Origin of the practice:
- Daylight Saving Time was first suggested in 1895 by George Hudson.
- Hudson wanted more daylight hours after work to collect bugs, and Daylight Saving Time was his solution.
- The idea of Daylight Saving Time caught on in other countries, especially as energy savings and conservation became a concern during World War II.
- DST is now used in over 70 countries around the world.
- India used daylight saving time from 1941 to 1945.
SOURCE: THE HINDU, THE ECONOMIC TIMES, PIB