Did you remember to put your clocks forward? It is with a particular kind of ritual that we advance our clocks by one hour during the summer months, and then turn them back again come the onset of winter. But as timeless as the practice may seem, it wasn’t always like this. Why do we adjust our clocks? And what would happen if we did not?
British Summer Time – or Daylight Saving Time – was introduced on the suggestion of one William Willett, who argued that there was a “wastage” of useful daylight in the morning during the summer months. As such, British Summer Time was initially introduced during the First World War in 1916 to promote greater efficiency of the daylight hours. It quickly became popular, and the nation soon got into the habit of adjusting their clocks with the seasons. However, over the century of its usage – and particularly recently – British Summer Time has come under attack.
There’s an argument that Daylight Saving Time doesn’t actually solve any of the problems it was created to tackle. While it may allow us to utilise the extra daylight during the summer months, in winter, darkness falls as early as 4pm presenting a dual problem: accidents are more likely to happen in the dark, and early nightfall increases our reliance on artificial light, which isn’t necessarily environmentally sustainable.
Enter 10:10, the climate change group which in recent years have launched the Lighter Later campaign – a campaign that argues that Britain should adopt a policy of GMT +1 in summer and GMT +2 in winter, giving us an extra hour of daylight in the evening, all year round.
"Hands up who doesn't want our country to be safer, lighter, more prosperous and with less pollution? And who doesn't want to save money on their electricity bills without lifting a finger?" asks Franny Armstrong, founder of 10:10. And indeed, supporters argue that there is an irrefutable logic behind the campaign.
These proposals aren’t new. In 1968, for instance, Britain entered a three-year experiment called British Standard Time: the clocks went forward in March, but did not return to Greenwich Mean Time until 1971.
It remains to be seen whether or not the Lighter Later campaign will be successful. But the campaign is changing the way we view Daylight Saving Time – not as an annual ritual, but as an optional way of life.