The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a bill that would make daylight saving time permanent. Dubbed the The Sunshine Protection Act, if this bill becomes law, it would mean that most of the country would not have to adjust their clocks two times a year. This issue has spurred debate, and it is not clear if this bill will see the light of day in Senate discussions. However, I am not here to debate its “pros” and “cons.” I am far more concerned about the large science literacy gap that has been exposed as people debate the issue.
What Are People Getting Wrong?
The first thing that people are getting wrong is the actual name itself. It is “saving.” There is no “s” in this particular use of the term. However, that’s the least of my concerns. I have literally seen or heard debates or arguments that seem to suggest that adjusting the clock affects the actual amount of light delivered to Earth from the Sun. It’s as if “falling back” or “springing forward” by an hour is connected to a giant timer connected to the Sun.
Daylight saving time and time zones are human constructs. Clock time itself is a human construct. “Time is probably the most measured quantity on Earth. It tells us when to wake and when to sleep; when to eat, work and play; when buses, trains and planes will depart and arrive,” wrote the National Institute of Standards and Technology website. “Yet we cannot measure time directly. We cannot see it, hear it, taste it, touch it or smell it. Instead, we measure time intervals — the durations separating two events. ‘Time’ is the accumulation of these intervals,” NIST went on to say. Humans have used sundials, internal detection, rudimentary clocks and a network of atomic clocks to keep time. “This symphony of time may be one of humanity’s most complex and important — and, perhaps, even beautiful — achievements,” proclaimed NIST experts.
The amount of daylight you receive at your location essentially depends on:
- Latitude
- Earth’s tilt.
- Seasons
As the Earth orbits the Sun, it is tilted at approximately 23.5 degrees. At different times of the year, different parts of the planet receive varying amounts and duration of direct sunlight. Right now, the Northern Hemisphere is tilting towards the Sun. It’s summer. The Earth is also rotating on its axis, which governs our daily or diurnal cycle. Nothing changes these natural processes when we adjust the clocks by an hour. It simply adjusts the daylight relative to your daily schedule. That’s where the debate lies, and I will leave that to others. We have certainly seen this movie before though.
The state of Indiana stays on daylight saving time all year. The state of Arizona does not observe daily saving time at all. “In the early 1970s, America was facing an energy crisis so the government tried an experiment. Congress passed a law to make daylight saving time permanent year round, but just for two years”, according NPR’s Susan Davis. “The thinking was more sunlight in the evening would reduce the nation’s energy consumption,” she continued. It didn’t go well.
Let’s see how this plays out in 2026.